Wolfpack route Longwood in opening round of Tourney

RALEIGH, N.C. – The first-seeded and No. 3 ranked NC State Wolfpack defeated the sixteen-seeded Longwood Lancers 96-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Reynolds Coliseum.

Senior guard Raina Perez led the way for the Wolfpack, finishing with 16 points and four rebounds.

The Lancers defeated Mount St. Mary’s 74-70 on Thursday behind a season-high 32 points from Senior forward Akila Smith to advance out of the First Four.

NC State (30-3, 16-2 Home) jumped out to a 15-5 lead as Perez and two-time ACC Tournament MVP Elissa Cunane dominated from the tip. Cunane was unstoppable down low in the first half as she finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.

Longwood closed the gap to end the first quarter following a 10-4 run sparked by three-pointers on consecutive possessions from guard Tre’dayja Smith. The Texas native led the way for the Lancers, recording a career-high 25 points along with six assists, as Longwood trailed by just four heading into the second.

The second quarter saw the Wolfpack turn up the heat in a major way as NC State outscored Longwood 23-6. The Wolfpack ended the second quarter on a 19-2 run as the Lancers went scoreless for nearly seven minutes of action.

Sophomore Diamond Johnson scored eight of NC State’s 19 during that run as NC State went into the halftime break up 42-21. Johnson ended the matchup with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench.

With the game already out of reach to start the second half, Wolfpack forward Jada Boyd scored six of her 12 points on back door layups to extend the lead to as much as 29. Boyd finished with 12 points and four rebounds.

“Jada has been playing unbelievable for the past month or so,” Coach Wes Moore told me after the game. “She’s really taken her game to the next level and is playing a lot harder. It’s really fun to watch, she’s very special.”

NC State did a great job slowing down Longwood season leading scorer Akila Smith as she shot 4-for-14 from the field, finishing with just 10 points following her career night on Thursday. The Lancers’ historic season comes to an end having won their first Big South Conference Championship while making the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history.

This victory makes 30 wins for NC State on the season, marking the first 30-win campaign in program history.

NC State looks to advance to the Sweet 16 in Greensboro as they take on ninth-seeded Kansas State in the second round at home on Monday.