Wolfpack women extend winning streak to five

Ethan Barry, Staff Writer • January 28, 2018

Senior forward Chelsea Nelson attacks the basket against Syracuse on Jan. 14 at Reynolds Coliseum. Nelson scored 11 points and 12 rebounds as the Wolfpack won 60-56 to improve to 14-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC.

Senior forward Chelsea Nelson scored the 1,000th point of her NC State career to highlight the Wolfpack women’s basketball team’s fifth consecutive win, 62-41, over Clemson.

Entering the game, Nelson needed 5 points to reach the milestone. She hit a jumper early in the second quarter that extended State’s lead to 22-9 for the 1,000th point of her stellar NC State career. She is the 33rd Pack player to reach the milestone.

The Pack (17-5, 6-3 ACC) struggled offensively in the first half, but stifled the Tigers (11-11, 1-8 ACC) on the defensive end to build its lead. The Pack led 25-17 at halftime and in the third quarter, State exploded for 22 points while shutting down Clemson, who scored only 6 points in the third frame. With a 47-23 lead, the Wolfpack coasted home in the fourth quarter and won 62-41.

State never trailed, and the lead ballooned up to 27 with about eight minutes left to go, before Clemson cut into the lead ever so slightly to give the Pack its biggest win in ACC play.

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Redshirt junior guard Kiara Leslie had a double-double and led the team with 22 points. Leslie went 2-3 from behind the three-point line, part of the 36 percent 3-point shooting for State. Nelson was the only other scorer in double figures for the Pack, as she finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Junior forward DD Rogers started for the Pack and led the team in rebounding with 12. She also chipped in 5 points.

With the Pack’s big lead, sophomore walk-on guard Katie Wadsworth played in her seventh game of the season. She scored the first points of her career with a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore forward Kobi Thornton led Clemson with 12 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Danielle Edwards was the only other Tiger in double figures with 10 points.

The Pack dominated on the glass, with a 53-22 rebounding edge, including an 18-2 edge on the offensive end.

The win finishes off a three-game road trip, where NC State won every game by double digits. The Wolfpack is now 7-3 away from Reynolds Coliseum, including 6-2 in true road games.

The Pack will return home on Thursday to take on the Florida State Seminoles at 7 p.m. The game will be the first home game since Jan. 14.