The No. 8 NC State women’s basketball team won its final regular-season game Sunday afternoon, taking care of business on the road against Virginia 75-64 inside John Paul Jones Arena.
Fueled by an NCAA-record 13-for-13 start from the 3-point line, the Wolfpack (25-4, 14-4 ACC) continued its offensive breakout as it used its highest-scoring first half of the season to surge past the Cavaliers (13-16, 8-10 ACC) in the regular-season finale.
NC State scored almost exclusively from the 3-point line in the first half, with 12 of its 16 made shots coming from deep. Seven players canned at least one 3-pointer and four knocked down multiple shots from deep. Led by senior guard Aislinn Konig’s 3-for-3 showing from deep in the opening 20 minutes, the Wolfpack scored 36 of its 46 first-half points from beyond the arc.
Konig and freshman wing Jakia Brown-Turner each sank a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game, and the Pack was off and running, scoring 19 points in the first quarter and 27 in the second. NC State’s 3-point barrage was punctuated at the end of the half when junior forward Kayla Jones caught a pass at the top of the arc and stepped into a 3, sinking it as the first-half buzzer sounded.
Despite the Wolfpack’s hot shooting, Virginia led 21-19 after the first quarter and held its lead for a couple minutes into the second period. NC State struggled with ball security, turning the ball over eight times in the first 10 minutes of play. But once the Pack settled down and found its groove, the game was all but over. Jones hit a 3-pointer just two minutes into the second quarter to give NC State the lead and it never looked back as the Pack outscored UVa 27-9 over the final nine minutes of the second quarter for a 46-32 halftime advantage.
After an extended delay at the beginning of the third quarter to fix the shot clock, which had gone awry, NC State’s hot scoring cooled off a bit. The Wolfpack scored 27 points in the second half but held the Cavaliers at bay, staving off a few UVa comeback attempts to secure a win heading into the ACC Tournament.
Four Wolfpack players finished in double-digit points, with Jones leading the way at 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Konig knocked down 4 of 6 threes and finished with 14 points, Cunane notched another double-double, scoring 15 points and hauling in 13 rebounds, and Brown-Turner finished with 12 points and three assists.
NC State will be back in action when it plays in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament Friday, March 6. The Wolfpack will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament and its game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports South.
