NC State Wolfpack Looking Poised to Repeat Heading Into 2021
ATLANTA, GA – The third-ranked NC State Wolfpack traveled to Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday to face the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech and walked away with a strong 84-75 win.
The Wolfpack jumped up to a 10-2 lead within the first three minutes of the game making five of their first six shots. At the end of the first quarter, N.C State led 26-13 on 12 of 17 (71%) from the field. The Wolfpack outscored Georgia Tech 28-12 in the second quarter to jump to a 54-25 lead at the half, as they shot 22-35 (62.8%) from the field. The Wolfpack were led by Kayla Jones and Jada Boyd with 14 points each and Jakia Brown-Turner with 13 points.
The Yellow Jackets came out more aggressive in the second half and outscored the Wolfpack by ten in the third quarter to cut the 29-point halftime lead down to nineteen. The Yellow Jackets closed the game strong, outscoring the Wolfpack by 10 in the fourth quarter, but the halftime deficit was too big to overcome.
The Wolfpack shot the ball well all night and finished 32 of 60 (53%) from the field. They were led by Jada Boyd who scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to tally a double-double on the night. Jakia Brown-Turner scored 19 points and Kayla Jones had 16 points and 10 rebounds to secure her third double-double on the season. The Yellow Jackets were led by a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds from Maj-Lotta Lahtinen.
The Wolfpack have been firing on all cylinders this season to help reach their 9-0 record sitting at second in the conference in field goal percentage (48%) and second in three-point percentage. (37.9%) They have been led all season by Elissa Cunane averaging 15.9 points per game. Kayla Jones (13.4PPG) and Jakia Brown-Turner, (13.1) have helped lead the Wolfpack squad that ranks fourth in the conference with 82.6 points per game, which is eleven points more than the previous season.
The most impressive stat line for the Wolfpack is that they have been averaging almost 18 assists, which leads the ACC. They are led by Raina Perez, who ranks sixth overall in the conference dishing out 4.4 assists per game. Jakia Brown-Turner has also been outstanding passing the ball averaging 3.5 assists per game which ranks her 13th overall in the conference.
The Wolfpack are ranked at the top of the conference standings and look to make another deep run in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The one question mark that eludes the Wolfpack is can they get through the second-ranked Louisville Cardinals, who have been firing on all cylinders averaging almost 90 points per game this season, which ranks eighth nationally. The Cardinals are led in scoring by Dana Evans, who is averaging 21 points per game.
The Wolfpack fell to the Cardinals last season in Raleigh 66-59 in a game where Jazmine Jones, who has now graduated for the Cardinals dropped 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Dana Evans scored 14 points in the contest to help the Cardinals sneak out of Raleigh with the win.
Of course, slowing down Evans will be the key this year but another player to watch is freshman guard Hailey Van Lith, who is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 points per game. The five-foot-seven-inch freshman out of Wenatchee, Washington came into Louisville this season ranked as the second-best player out of high school.
The two teams are set to square off this season on January 17 in Louisville, in a game that is scheduled to tip-off at 3 p.m. on ESPN. If you’re a fan of Women’s college basketball, you don’t want to miss that one.
The Wolfpack defense that ranked fourth in the conference last year allowing 57 points per game, has been just as dominant this season as they have allowed just under 57 points per game, which leads the ACC. That defense will be tested against a Louisville Cardinals team that is averaging just under 90 points per game.
The Wolfpack also lead the conference in defensive rebounds per game with 33.6 per game, which ranks eighth nationally as well. Not giving a team like the Louisville Cardinals, who score almost 90 points per game second-chance opportunities, will certainly enhance the Wolfpack’s chances at repeating as conference champions.
The saying goes, “defense wins championships,” and if the Wolfpack can slow down the Cardinals, they will have a good chance of repeating as conference champions. “The ACC is no joke. They have some good teams and you can’t let up.” N.C State Head Coach Wes Moore said following the win.
The Wolfpack will look to really lean on their defense as they will host the Boston College Eagles on Sunday, January 3rd at 2 p.m. in Raleigh. NC State had to use a last-minute effort to stave off an upset attempt by the Eagles in Boston back in December.