Sophomore guard Diamond Johnson carried the No. 5 NC State women’s basketball team to a 62-34 victory over the Washington State Cougars in Nassau, Bahamas on Saturday, Nov. 27.
Overall, it was a poor shooting performance from the Wolfpack (6-1). Johnson herself rattled off 24 points while going 4 for 5 from beyond the arc, but the rest of the roster shot a combined 12 for 45 from the field and 2 for 12 from 3-point range. Despite the lack of scoring production from players not named Johnson, NC State found ways to support its star shooter in other areas of the box score and defeat the Cougars (4-1).
“I just needed to adjust,” Johnson said. “The coaches put me in a good position, worked with me to score, assists, rebounds, whatever I need to do. My teammates also will give me confidence. As they cheer me on, I shoot the ball well. They just bring me up, they bring a lot of energy to the table.”
Fortunately for head coach Wes Moore, the Wolfpack defense shut down the Cougars altogether. With Washington State unable to find quality shots, a lot of pressure was taken off the NC State offense as it was able to let Johnson accumulate points.
“I’m just really proud of our defensive effort,” Moore said. “Washington State has so many great shooters, and they’re very well coached. They do a lot of things on offense that are hard to guard, and I just thought we had great urgency and energy.”
No other Wolfpack player made it to double-digit points, but senior center Elissa Cunane came the closest with nine. Cunane scored seven of those points from the charity stripe, knocking down seven of 10 free throws. Graduate forward Kayla Jones and graduate guard Kai Crutchfield each scored seven points of their own. Crutchfield also led the team in assists with three.
Cunane led the Pack with nine rebounds, another category where NC State exceled. The team racked up 49 boards compared to Washington State’s 36, limiting the Cougars’ opportunities for second-chance points.
Up next for the Pack is a showdown with the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers eliminated the Wolfpack from the NCAA Tournament last season in a hard-fought game, and this season’s edition will likely feature more rough-and-tumble basketball.
“That’s gonna be like a root canal,” Moore said. “[The Hoosiers] are just so talented and so tough, that’s what impresses me so much. They’re so well coached and fundamental, and they’re not going to take a play off. That’s gonna be a big challenge for us coming up as well.”
The top-5 matchup will air on ESPN2 on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
