NC State WBB Set to Take on UNC Pembroke for an Exhibition Game

RALEIGH NC – The #5 NC State Wolfpack Women’s basketball team are prepared to host UNC Pembroke at James T. Valvano Arena for an exhibition clash on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM.

They are coming off an extremely impressive 2020 season where they went 22-3 (12-2, ACC) and were nationally ranked #3 in the AP Poll. The dominant run ended in the third round of the NCAA tournament, falling to Indiana in a 73-70 heartbreaker.

The Wolfpack are destined for another successful season as they have won at least 20 games the past six years, led by head coach Wes Moore. Moore’s stint began in 2013, and the rest is history. At NC State, he has compiled a record 190-64 (.748), winning the ACC back to back. His career started in 1984 and is 748-234 (.762) overall. 

They will have star Elissa Cunane returning for her senior season. She put together yet again tremendous numbers leading all players in point per game with 16.3 and rebounds with 8.3 rebounds. It marked Cunane’s second consecutive campaign averaging 16 points, as she has proved to be one of the best power forward/centers in the nation.

For UNC Pembroke, things turned out the opposite of the Wolfpack. They finished with a 3-12 record, and 11 of those losses were in conference play. They have yet to put together a winning season since 2016, where they went 15-12 but were eliminated in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference tournament by Clayton State. So the scripts have been extremely different as the Pack has been one of the best teams in the NCAA since the arrival of Moore. 

It should be a good contest for the Pack to feel out their roster, and being at home is even better news as they were an undefeated 11-0 in 2020. In addition, a large portion of players returning makes them a legitimate threat not only to take the ACC once again but to make another deep run in the NCAA tournament. It all begins on Wednesday evening.