The No. 4 NC State women’s basketball team defended its home court Thursday, Dec. 17 against in-state rival Wake Forest with a convincing 79-65 win.
After having a slow start in its last game against Boston College, the Wolfpack (7-0, 2-0 ACC) came out as the aggressor making its first 10 shots. By the time NC State missed a field goal, it had already built an 18-point lead.
“We were obviously knocking down some shots, which we struggled to do Sunday,” said NC State head coach Wes Moore. “…I thought our starting five played extremely well.”
NC State was led by sophomore wing Jakia Brown-Turner, who scored a career-high 23 points in the win. In the frontcourt, junior center Elissa Cunane and senior forward Kayla Jones each recorded double-doubles.
Brown-Turner imposed her will on the Demon Deacons (4-2, 1-1 ACC) early on, recording 14 points by the end of the first quarter. She had three of NC State’s six 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, which helped push NC State to a 33-17 lead.
“We just ran the plays that coach set out for us and my teammates were giving the ball to me,” Brown-Turner said. “…Everything was just flowing on offense with the whole team.”
After being blown away early on, Wake Forest weathered the storm in the second quarter, as NC State went cold shooting-wise. Jewel Spear got hot for the Demon Deacons with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first half to keep her team in the game. However, a 3-pointer from graduate guard Raina Perez as time expired in the second quarter gave the Wolfpack a 48-34 at the break.
NC State dominated inside. It out-rebounded Wake Forest 20 to eight in the first 20 minutes of the game. It also had 22 points in the paint, compared to the Demon Deacons’ 14.
It was much the same for the Wolfpack in the third quarter, dominating the Demon Deacons inside. Jones and Cunane continued to be focal points down low, leading to layups and open jump shots for their teammates.
“When the shots came to me, I was just trying to take it and be aggressive,” Jones said. “…Defensively, rebounding and crashing, just trying to do what coach asks.”
NC State ended the third quarter on a 6-0 run to push its lead to 67-44, effectively ending any thought of a comeback from the Demon Deacons.
With control of the game, Moore allowed subs to get minutes in the fourth quarter. Freshman guards Rebecca Demeke and Genesis Bryant each got on the score sheet for NC State.
Sophomore forward Jada Boyd saw minutes off the bench in her first game since the season opener due to a meniscus injury. She did not score in limited minutes, but her return from injury is a good sign for NC State’s long-term success this season.
“We eased [Boyd] into it,” Moore said. “Hopefully in the next couple of days of practice, she can kind of get back in a groove and maybe get her out there for some more minutes.”
The Wolfpack will be back in action Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum against Miami for a game that was supposed to be against Duke, but was changed due to positive COVID-19 tests in the Blue Devils program. Tipoff is scheduled for noon. Follow @TechSports on Twitter for live updates.
NC State's Elissa Cunane (33) celebrates heading back downcourt after the Wolfpack made a three-pointer during the first half of N.C. State’s game against Wake Forest at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020.
