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NC State Knocks Off Top-Ranked South Carolina

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The eighth-ranked NC State women’s basketball team (3-0) came out on top of what was one of the most highly-anticipated matchups of non-conference play as it took down top-ranked South Carolina (3-1), 54-46, Thursday evening inside Colonial Life Arena.

The victory marked the Wolfpack’s first over a top-ranked team since March 3, 2007 when it defeated No. 1 Duke in the ACC Tournament. It was also just the third win over a top-ranked team in a total of 20 tries in program history.

The Pack handled the South Carolina crowd with poise as it took home a road win in the series for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign. NC State handed the Gamecocks their first home loss since the end of the 2018-19 regular season and snapped what was previously a 29-game overall winning streak for South Carolina.

In a second half that featured 13 lead changes and two fourth-quarter ties, NC State saw itself down one point (43-44) with 5:10 remaining in the game. Raina Perez hit a three to put the Pack up one (46-44) and give the squad a lead it would not relinquish. It started an 11-2 game-closing run for NC State during which Kayla Jones also knocked down a three and the Pack went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Two Wolfpack players posted double-doubles – Jones (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Jakia Brown-Turner (11 points, 12 rebounds). Elissa Cunane (14 points) and Raina Perez (11 points) joined them in double figures.

NC State buckled down on the defensive side of the ball, forcing 11 Gamecock turnovers and holding South Carolina to fewer than 50 points for the first time since February 2013. At the same time, the Wolfpack turned the ball over just nine times, which included zero from Perez, who handled the point for the majority of the contest.

The Wolfpack took a narrow one-point lead into the locker room at halftime after a tightly-contested opening 20 minutes South Carolina took its largest lead of the first half (15-9) at the 9:37 mark, which occurred in the midst of a 0-of-13 shooting drought for NC State.

It was also, however, the Gamecocks’ last make from the field for over eight minutes. They went on to miss 14 shots in a row while the Pack put together a 6-0 run to retake the lead. It put NC State back in the game and in position to hang tight until its takeover in the final minutes.

NC State will return home for its final two non-conference games of the 2020-21 season, beginning with a Dec. 6 matchup against Coastal Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Reynolds Coliseum.