Maize, Lady Wolfpack Dominate in Exhibition 57-42
RALEIGH, NC – Senior Akela Maize dominates early and her Lady Wolfpack teammates followed suit as North Carolina State defeated the Lee University Lady Flames 57-42.
Senior forward Akela Maize started the game off for NC State with a dominant presence on the court, getting a jump hook to fall from right inside of the free throw line and a pair of free throws to add to that to give the Wolfpack an early 4-0 lead.
The Lady Wolfpack would continue their dominance throughout the half, going in to halftime with a 29-12 score.
Coming out of halftime, The Lady Wolfpack continued to be the aggressor as Kaila Ealey jumped the passing lanes and got an easy steal and fast break layup to start the half to extend the score 31-12
Lee guard Abby Bertram got fouled and hit the shot then hit a free throw to convert the and-one. Teammate Carrie Cheeks would follow on the next play but missed her free throw to cut the Lady Flame deficit to 31-17.
Chelsea Nelson hit a layup followed by a Maize free throw to give the Lady Wolfpack the 34-17 lead. Nelson would finish with 10 points and eight rebounds. Maize led all scorers in the game with 13 points.
Lee University would show some fight in the third quarter. The Flame would go on a 7-2 run in part of a 14-11 quarter, the only quarter outscoring the home team, to give NC State the 40-26 at the end of the third quarter.
Erin Walsh 3 to cut it to 35-44 deficit with 5:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. The NC State lead would not drift lower than nine as a Nelson layup and-one followed by an Aislinn Konig three to make it 50-35.
Despite a few Lee buckets, NC State was able to handle the comeback attempt and stave off the Lady Flame with a final score of 57-42.
This was not a pretty game for Coach Wes Moore and his Lady Wolfpack unit. “We will need to put up more points to be successful” stated a disappointed Coach Moore after the game.
Forwards Maize and Nelson both thought that the team needed to buy-in to what the coaching staff is selling them, especially on defense. “If everyone thinks about the team, I think that will help us a lot too.”
Look for the team to “buy-in” and be ready for action November 10th when they host Jacksonville right back in Reynolds Coliseum.