N.C. State women’s basketball downed Elon 65-41 Tuesday night in Reynolds Coliseum. The game could have been much closer, but the Phoenix had a dismal opening period from the floor, shooting only 17.9 percent.
Elon matched the Wolfpack early in the game, jumping out to a 6-2 lead after seeing State miss its first four shots. But after being ignited by a jumper from senior Shayla Fields, the Pack quickly answered going on a 21-2 run. At one point, the Pheonix was scoreless for almost seven minutes. After finishing the first half up 35-16, State came out cold to start the second half.
“We went through those periods of time when we were shooting less than 20 percent at one point in the second half,” coach Kay Yow said.
But the Pack would recover, and widen the lead that had shrunk down to 11 back up past 20 points. From then on, State never looked back. All game, the Pack continued to take advantage of Elon’s lack of size. The Phoenix has only has one player over six feet, compared to five for State, and that player never saw action.
Sophomore forward Tia Bell was able to use her 6-foot-3 frame to her advantage against the smaller Phoenix lineup. Bell posted a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, both career highs.
“My concentration was on playing harder and [putting in] more effort, and then it just so happened that there was a miss-match in the post and my teammates saw the opportunity,” Bell said.
The game did open up some concerns for coach Yow. She was actually disappointed in the defensive effort the Pack showed, despite Elon’s low shooting percentage.
“You look at the stats, and they look somewhat good. But in a game like this, you don’t like to see some of the errors and mistakes we made on defense,” Yow said. “I was really disappointed in our team defense tonight.”
Yow also said she wasn’t pleased that State let Elon’s shorter players drive all the way down the lane.
The Pack struggled from beyond the arc. Prior to Tuesday’s matchup, the team was shooting 41.4 percent from downtown. But State did not continue the early season trend, going 0-12 from outside.
Yow attributed part of the poor play to the team’s tired legs. This was the Pack’s third game in four days, and Yow held a full practice on the off-day.
“Having to go three games in four days and that practice, I think that was a factor,” Yow said. “I’m not using that as an excuse, but I think it made a difference for us, because we are trying really hard to do things well.”
State goes on the road for the next five games, playing in two tournaments and then at Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The team’s next home game is Dec. 7 against Florida.
