After a 57-42 win over Lee University in an exhibition game Thursday, the NC State women’s basketball team is set to take on the Jacksonville Dolphins Friday in Reynolds Coliseum to kick off the regular season.
The Jacksonville Dolphins are looking to improve this season after winning the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) title in 2016 and being the first team in conference history to receive an at-large bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) last season.
The Pack will also be looking to build on a successful 2016-17 season. NC State ended the season at No. 17 in the AP Poll after falling to Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Dolphins are an experienced team as their roster holds three seniors, six juniors, four sophomores and only one freshman. The senior experience brought to the matchup from Jacksonville could play a crucial role with making smart in-game decisions.
Two of the Dolphins’ seniors, guard Brandi Buie and forward Kayla Gordon were both picked for Preseason All-Conference honors. Last season, Buie averaged 12.4 points per game with a career-high 28 points. Gordon averaged 9.9 points per game and 8.7 rebounds for the Dolphins last season and set a Jacksonville record with 20 rebounds against Florida Gulf Coast. Rebounding could be a trouble area for the Pack as the team was out-rebounded by Lee, 40 to 39.
The Pack is on the opposite end of the spectrum, only returning two seniors, forward Chelsea Nelson and center Akela Maize, and two juniors, center Nae Nae Cole and forward DD Rogers. Even with four returning upperclassmen, the younger and new players could get the Pack into trouble offensively.
Head coach Wes Moore said in his Lee University postgame press conference that he is aware the team is young this year and the Wolfpack will be learning how to produce offensively.
Although NC State is not returning a lot of upperclassmen from last year’s team, new talents have made the roster for the Pack and returning players have started to fill the gaping holes the 2017 graduating class left.
Sophomore guard Aislinn Konig will look to make an impact on the Pack’s performance after scoring 10 points in the exhibition game. Konig shot 50 percent in that game and will be leaned on for consistent 3-point shooting throughout the season. Redshirt sophomore guard Kaila Ealey will also be needed in the Wolfpack’s young offense as she had nine points against Lee.
Transfers will also play a crucial role for the NC State team this year. Redshirt junior guard Kiara Leslie, a transfer from Maryland, had eight points in the exhibition game in only 18 minutes of playing time. She also tallied four rebounds for the Pack.
NC State will be looking to put the pieces together this weekend as the Pack takes on the Dolphins in Reynolds Coliseum Friday at 5 p.m. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
