GREENSBORO, N.C. — The No. 3 NC State women’s basketball team blew out the Florida State Seminoles 84-54 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals inside Greensboro Coliseum on Friday, March 4.
The Wolfpack (27-3, 17-1 ACC) jumped out to a seven-point lead after the first quarter and held the Seminoles (17-13, 10-8 ACC) to single digits in the second frame, the Pack’s 21st such quarter of the season, to put the game away early. By comparison, NC State only scored under 20 points in one quarter in the massive victory.
“That was a good old-fashioned butt kicking,” said Florida State head coach Sue Semrau.
Senior center Elissa Cunane picked up right where she left off from her ACC Tournament MVP campaign last season, getting out to a hot start, scoring nine quick points in the first quarter and finishing the contest with 15 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block.
“Honestly it’s just the way they were playing the game today,” Cunane said. “They were able to feed me down low. And the way they were playing post defense, my teammates got me the ball. It’s also tournament time. Everyone wants to play better for tournament time. The next game is not guaranteed. Doesn’t matter what seed you are. So we’ve just got to come out here and play every game like it’s our last.”
Growing up just minutes from Greensboro Coliseum, Cunane holds averages of 19.1 points and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting 59.6% from the field in her nine career ACC Tournament appearances.
“Hometown girl, man,” said head coach Wes Moore. “She plays well here. It goes back to, I don’t know how old, she was laying on the floor when she was a kid doing snow angels and the balloons falling from the ceiling, so I think that was good karma. Maybe she learned how to do well on that court.”
Cunane handed the scoring baton to junior wing Jakia Brown-Turner in the second half, who had a perfect third quarter, shooting 4 for 4 from the field, good for nine points.
Brown-Turner ended the game with 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and 0 turnovers, finishing as the Pack’s joint-leading scorer on the day while shooting 77.8% from the field.
Although she got off to a slow start to the season, Brown-Turner has been excellent for the Pack down the stretch. Brown-Turner has increased her scoring output and shooting statistics over the last two months, evolving as a playmaker and defender along the way.
“When you’re one of the better players in the league, people are going to focus on you,” Moore said. “They know she’s a great shooter. They were doing a great job of getting to her, and she sometimes was getting a little out of control, rushing things. She slowed down, the game slowed down. She’s playing really well right now.”
Junior forward Jada Boyd was another consistent source of offense for the Pack throughout the game, scoring 12 points to join Cunane and Brown-Turner in double figures.
Graduate guard Kai Crutchfield didn’t pop up much in the box score but was equally important, holding Florida State leading scorer Morgan Jones, who averages 14.1 points on 46.8% shooting on the year, to just seven points on 33.3% shooting from the floor.
“[Kai]’s another one playing really well right now,” Moore said. “That’s the luxury of having these veterans. We usually have Kai guard the opponent’s best perimeter scorer, and she takes a lot of pride in that. I think it’s something that she wants to excel at. … I think she’s playing really well right now, maybe the best she’s played.”
Transition buckets and inside offense were the keys to the Pack’s strong first half as NC State carved the Seminole defense possession after possession. Defense continually turned to offense in the first half, allowing the Wolfpack to enter the second half with a 13-point lead.
The Pack forced nine first-half turnovers, scoring 13 points off those turnovers before the break. Florida State had four turnovers in the first 4:28 of play, setting the tone early.
“I would say it’s uncharacteristic, but man, that’s what NC State makes you do,” Semrau said. “They are just solid. They are such a good basketball team.”
The Wolfpack kept it going in the third quarter, shooting 64.3% from the floor and 75% from distance in the period, behind a big performance from Brown-Turner and two big 3s from Crutchfield.
With the possibility of three games in three days, Moore used the fourth quarter as an opportunity to rest some of the starters and get some of the younger players some minutes in a tournament setting.
“Again, I thought pretty much everyone contributed that went in there and did a nice job, and that’s important, also, to be able to save the legs a little bit by rotating and getting some depth in there,” Moore said.
Freshman guard Aziaha James, who was recently named to the ACC All-Freshman team, scored nine fourth-quarter points to help the Pack keep its foot on the gas through the final whistle.
Next up, NC State takes on Virginia Tech in Saturday’s noon semifinal, a team coming off an impressive overtime win over UNC-Chapel Hill before NC State’s game.
Virginia Tech guard Cayla King missed the quarterfinal matchup against UNC and ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley went down with an injury in the Hokie win. Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said he expects both to be out for the semifinal matchup against the Pack.
“That’s what I told our team; they won today without Kitley,” Moore said. “So you can’t take anything for granted. It’s this time of year where you’ve got to be locked in and ready to play. We’ve got to prepare as if she’s playing, and again, they’ve got a lot of weapons, so we know we’ll have our hands full.”
Junior wing Jakia Brown-Tuner drives to the basket during the game versus the Florida State Seminoles on Friday, Mar. 04, 2022 in the Greensboro Coliseum. Brown-Turner scored 15 points, had six assists and had six rebounds against Florida State. The Wolfpack beat Florida State 84-54.
