NC State women’s basketball is off to a fantastic start to its season and is looking to keep the 4-0 streak alive against an undefeated Elon on Dec. 9. The game is set to tip off at 7:15 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, where Elon (2-0) will try to knock this red-hot Wolfpack team off its pedestal.
Hot starts are nothing new to this NC State program, which is seeing similar success as that of last season when the Wolfpack went 15-0 to start. The big difference in the slate of games a year ago and the games the team is participating in this season has to be the win against No. 1 South Carolina. It was this game where the Wolfpack established a precedent of what’s to come and how it would handle the pressure of premier matchups.
The victory against the Gamecocks was NC State’s first win over a No. 1 team since March 3, 2007, when the Pack defeated Duke in the ACC Tournament. The game also serves as one of just three wins over a No. 1 team in program history. Head coach Wes Moore showed his coaching brilliance as the Pack was forced to play at a different pace from what it had been accustomed to in the previous games this season. Scoring 93 points in its first game and 108 in the second, NC State was only allowed to post 54 in this win, showing the adaptability and versatility of this roster.
NC State has shown no signs of resting on its laurels, however, as it decimated Coastal Carolina in the following game. Making a return to the game scripts from earlier in the season, the Pack posted a 98-46 win over the Chanticleers. With sophomore Jada Boyd out with a meniscus injury, the Wolfpack had to look elsewhere for efficient scoring and playmaking. No. 5-ranked graduate transfer Raina Perez stepped up, posting a team-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting along with eight rebounds and six assists. Perez will look to continue that success against the Phoenix.
Elon is off to a win streak of its own, currently boasting a 2-0 record. Its first game of the season resulted in a convincing win against Gardner-Webb, 88-60, behind sophomore Vanessa Taylor’s 17 points. The Elon team managed to get things done at both ends of the court, scoring an impressive 31 points off 24 turnovers. Elon dominated in this matchup, leading the scoring in every quarter and never giving Gardner-Webb room for a comeback.
In Elon’s second game, it walked out of Cullowhee with a 69-54 win over Western Carolina. Senior guard Ariel Colón led the Phoenix scoring brigade with a game-high 15 points. Senior guard Saadia Munford was also heavily involved for the Phoenix, posting a team-high six rebounds and game-high six assists. The Phoenix was just as defensive-minded as it was offensive in this game, most notably illustrated by junior guard Kayla Liles’ five steals, which landed her just one steal shy of her career high.
History favors the Pack in its matchups against Elon, coming in at 10-1 all time. Sporting a three-game win streak against the team, NC State has managed to put up an average of 74.27 points per game in those matchups. This number is slightly lower than what has been seen for this Wolfpack team so far and is likely to be topped by a really productive offense from Moore. In its matchup a year ago, Elon kept the score close. In fact, that game had the smallest margin of victory of any NC State win against Elon at 62-49.
An interesting fact about this matchup is that NC State has never been the visiting team, with all of the games being played in the Raleigh area. Of games played at NC State’s facilities (Reynolds Coliseum and PNC Arena), the Pack is 10-0. The team’s one loss to Elon came from a game played in the Holliday Gym at Broughton High School. If history is any indication of what’s to come, the Wolfpack should walk out of Reynolds on Wednesday with another win.
With all the history leaning the Pack’s way, it is still up to the team to deliver its product on Dec. 9. The game will be played at Reynolds Coliseum at 7:15 p.m. The matchup will also be streamed live on the ACC Network or via the WatchESPN app. To get live updates on this game or anything else Wolfpack sports related be sure to follow @TechSports on Twitter.
