The NC State women’s basketball team hosts Clemson on Thursday night in Reynolds Coliseum, looking to continue its run as the only undefeated team in all of college basketball.
The Wolfpack (18-0, 5-0) is coming off a 70-61 overtime win over Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon in Raleigh. The Tigers (14-5, 5-1) have won five in a row since losing their ACC opener against Syracuse.
Graduate guard Kiara Leslie leads the Wolfpack in scoring and rebounding with 15 points and eight rebounds per contest. Junior guard Aislinn Konig leads the Pack’s potent 3-point attack, shooting 43.8 percent from behind the 3-point line. Leslie is lethal from distance as well, hitting 3s at a 39.1 percent clip.
Head Coach Wes Moore’s teams have always hung their hat on defense, and this season is no different. NC State leads the ACC in points allowed per game at 55.5.
Forward Kobi Thornton is Clemson’s best player, averaging 16.1 points per game and 8.2 rebounds. Guards Simone Westbrook and Danielle Edwards also average double figures, with 14.8 and 13.8 ppg respectively.
The Tigers do most of their damage from inside the arc and the free-throw line. Edwards has taken the most 3-pointers on the team at 63, but has only made 31.7 percent. As a team, the Tigers are 13th in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage. On the other hand, the Tigers average 22 free-throw attempts per game, second in the ACC.
If the Pack can keep the Tigers off the free-throw line, it will feel good about extending its winning streak to 19 games.
As the season approaches the halfway point, this is a critical game for both squads. Both teams have to be thrilled with how they’ve started the season, but whoever loses on Thursday will have an uphill battle to reach its season goal.
The Pack has to be thinking about the ACC Championship. It likely needs to go 15-1, minimum, for that to happen. The last time a team won the ACC with more than one loss was in 2011 when Duke won with a 12-2 record. A loss to Clemson with top-five teams Notre Dame and Louisville still on the schedule would be crushing for the Wolfpack.
On the other hand, Clemson is one of five teams with one loss. The Tigers have a top-four seed in their sights, but with Notre Dame and NC State still undefeated in league play, it’s going to be an uphill battle for all the one-loss teams to finish in the top-four. A win over the Pack on Thursday would go a long towards finishing top-four in the conference.
The game will tip off at 7 p.m. at Reynolds Coliseum and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
