NC State Advances to Sweet 16 in Win Over KSU

RALEIGH, N.C. – The first-seeded and No. 3 ranked NC State Wolfpack defeated the eighth-seeded Kansas State Wildcats 89-57 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Reynolds Stadium.

Senior forward Kayla Jones led the way for the Wolfpack, recording 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 8-9 shooting from the field.

The Wolfpack were coming off a dominant 96-68 victory over 16 seeded Longwood on Saturday afternoon. Before that game, Kansas State stuck it out down the stretch and defeated Washington State 50-40 to advance.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first three minutes of action following buckets from Serena Sundell. Sundell led the way for Kansas State ending with 17 points and three assists.

Two-Time First-team All-ACC forward Elissa Cunane got in foul trouble in the first three minutes of the game and sat for the remainder of the first half. Cunane finished with just four points and two rebounds in only 14 minutes.

NC State ended the first quarter on a 14-4 run, giving the Wolfpack a 17-13 lead heading into the second.

Matters got worse in the second quarter for Kansas State as NC State jumped out to a 14-2 run led by guard Raina Perez and Kayla Jones. Perez scored 10 of her 15 points in the first half which helped extend the Wolfpack lead to as much as 20 by the end of the second quarter.

A key factor in this matchup was the defensive focus NC State showed to Wildcats Center Ayoka Lee, who led the way for Kansas State all year in points, rebounds, and blocks. Lee recorded just six points and two rebounds in the first half and saw a double team on almost every post up.

Coming out of the Halftime break up 16, the Wolfpack extended their lead to 25 at a point in the third quarter as Kayla Jones and Cunane began to heat up. NC State shot 63% from the field in the third quarter which further lifted them over Kansas State in the end.

This victory makes 31 wins for NC State on the season, the most in program history.

NC State looks ahead to take on fifth-seeded Notre Dame this Saturday in the Sweet 16 at the Greensboro Coliseum.