The NC State women’s basketball team has many fans excited at the overall success of this season. According to ESPN, the Wolfpack was No. 25 in the way-too-early preseason rankings; however, when the season officially started, the Wolfpack was not ranked. Since the season’s beginning, the Pack climbed up to No. 18.
The Pack (15-5, 5-2 ACC) is currently fifth in the ACC while beating the top three teams in the ACC: No. 6 Florida State, No. 8 Notre Dame and rival No. 14 Duke. The two conference losses were come-from-behind wins from No. 17 Miami and Syracuse. The Wolfpack is 11-1 in Reynolds Coliseum this season, with the only loss coming at the hands of the Hurricanes.
The Pack opened the season with a five-game homestand and took the win in all five, with a winning margin of at least 19 points. A main factor in the amazing home record is junior forward Chelsea Nelson.
Nelson is averaging 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 60.4 percent from the field. Nelson has tallied seven double-doubles, currently the most on the team. Nelson’s most outstanding game came against FSU, when she tallied 17 points, a season-high 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Assisting Nelson is redshirt senior guard Dominique Wilson. Wilson is averaging 10.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season, while shooting 83 percent from the free throw line. Wilson has tallied double digits in 11 games and shot 14 of 14 from the charity stripe against FSU. On a senior-laden basketball team, you cannot discredit the underclassmen who has also helped the Pack get to where it is today.
Freshman guard Aislinn Konig has led the underclassmen coming off the bench, is averaging 19 minutes per game and 8.4 PPG. Konig has scored double digits in four of the 16 games that she has played, including a career-high 26 points against NC Central at Reynolds Coliseum. As of late, she’s been forced to sit out the last four games due to an ankle injury.
The Wolfpack has nine games left in the season before ACC tournament play, with key games against No. 9 Louisville, archrival UNC-Chapel Hill twice and the famous Play4Kay game versus Wake Forest Feb. 19.
With its 15th win against Clemson, the Pack has solidified a winning season even if it was to end the season on a nine-game losing streak. In order for the Pack to finish .500 in the ACC, it will need to win three of its last nine games, equating to an 18-11 overall record. Though that does not seem like a bad record, it would make it more difficult for the Pack to earn a high seed in the tournament.
As the NC State women’s basketball campaign wraps up, the team looks to continue its outstanding year and venture into postseason play, something it failed to achieve last season. The Pack’s next match is Thursday against Pitt at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
Junior forward Chelsea Nelson goes up for the offensive rebound during the 55-52 win over No. 12 Duke in Reynolds Coliseum on Jan. 15.
