BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The NC State women’s basketball team defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish inside Total Mortgage Arena on Saturday, March 26 to advance to its second-ever Elite Eight.
Graduate guards Raina Perez and Kai Crutchfield both played savior roles for the Wolfpack, something each one is familiar with.
Perez is no stranger to game-winners in the postseason for the Wolfpack. In the 2021 ACC Championship game, Perez hit the game-winner to give the Pack its second of three straight ACC titles.
“But just the way she came in, as she mentioned, we lost a point guard, we had everybody else back,” said head coach Wes Moore. “It could have been tough. She just fit right in like she had been here for four years. Unbelievable kid, personality, and then obviously — that show, ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’? It’s now ‘Everybody Loves Raina,’ OK? It’s going to be a series for a long time, OK, just unbelievable.”
Today, Perez came up with the biggest steal and bucket of her career to give NC State the improbable comeback win.
“Yeah, she turned her back, the ball was still stuck on her hip, so I went for it, got the steal, made the lay-up,” Perez said. “And those free throws, we practice free throws every day in practice, and we’re always in tough situations. I just knocked them down.”
Hailing from Goodyear, Arizona, Perez transferred from Cal State Fullerton to play her graduate season at NC State, filling the void left behind by former ACC Tournament hero Aislinn Konig.
“So Coach Moore had left a voicemail, and my brother listened to it, and he was basically like, ‘Yeah, you should call them back,’ Perez said. “I think they had just been previously ranked eighth in the nation, so I was like, yeah, for sure I’m going to call them back. And then I realized their point guard had just graduated, so I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is a great opportunity for me. What am I doing?’”
In the two years since, Perez has always come up big when the Pack needs it most. In the first two rounds of this year’s NCAA Tournament, Perez scored 31 points combined, going 13 of 19 from the floor in those games.
Against No. 1 South Carolina earlier this season, despite the loss, Perez had her season high of 18 points. In last year’s NCAA Tournament, Perez had 29 combined in the Round of 32 and Sweet 16 games.
Crutchfield is known by NC State fans by another name: “Kai Clutchfield,” for her defensive antics and knack for hitting big shots. In today’s Sweet 16 game, she did both, scoring seven of her 14 points and three of her four steals in the fourth quarter.
“I think [the play of the game] was Kai’s and-one, honestly,” said senior center Elissa Cunane. “I don’t know if y’all think differently. When she got that, we were all so hyped, and I think we really started to bring it together as a team.”
Crutchfield is often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best wing player, but her ability to knock down big shots is unparalleled. This year, Crutchfield’s 4-of-7 showing from downtown propelled the Pack past UNC. In last year’s NCAA Tournament, Crutchfield went 10 of 11 from downtown through three games and in last year’s ACC Tournament, Crutchfield came up big against Georgia Tech.
“With these guards we have, every one of them can knock down threes, and again, Kai always seems to do it at the most opportune time,” Moore said.
While NC State faces a daunting task when it takes on No. 2-seeded UConn, it can rest easy knowing that it has Perez and Crutchfield in the backcourt. That duo put its talents on full display in the win against Notre Dame and will look to do so again in the Elite Eight, which tips at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 28.
“Yeah, I’m hard on Kai,” Moore said. ”If y’all haven’t noticed, she has a whole lot of God-given talent and ability. Her ceiling is so high. So I’m hard on her. But you know what, she stepped up and made some unbelievable plays there. … That’s what got us back in the game and gave us a chance. And then Raina was the cherry on top.”
