Raleigh, NC – No. 5 NC State women’s basketball (21-3, 12-1 ACC) earned its sixth win over a ranked opponent this season, defeating No. 11 Georgia Tech (18-5, 9-3 ACC) by a final score of 59-48 inside Reynolds Coliseum during the program’s 17th annual Play4Kay Game.
Play4Kay celebrates the life of legendary head coach Kay Yow and honors all who have battled cancer. Through the generous support of Wolfpack Nation, the university community and multiple local businesses, NC State raised $324,087.75 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund surrounding this year’s game.
NC State outscored Georgia Tech 35-15 in the second and third quarters, a stretch that proved to make the difference in a matchup between a pair of top-15 ACC teams. The Yellow Jackets did not hit double figures in either of those periods.
Diamond Johnson (12 points) and Raina Perez (11 points) both hit double figures in scoring, and Jada Boyd and Camille Hobby posted eight apiece to make up the Pack’s top set of scorers. Elissa Cunane led the team in rebounds with seven, but Johnson impressively added six boards, including a team-leading three offensive rebounds.
The Wolfpack’s 12-1 mark in ACC play marks its best start through 13 games in the Wes Moore era. NC State has now defeated nine conference opponents by 10+ points this season, and the team extended its home winning streak against ACC foes to 15 games dating back to the 2019-20 regular-season finale.
Coming into the outing, Georgia Tech had limited its opponents to 47.1 points per game, and the Wolfpack surpassed that number through three quarters with 49 points after 30 minutes. NC State became just the second team overall and the first ACC team this season to hit 30 points at halftime against the Yellow Jackets.
NC State’s dominant stretch between the middle two periods started with the Pack holding Georgia Tech to 3-of-17 (.176) in the second quarter, and NC State scored the first 10 points of the second half to continue its momentum. The Yellow Jackets missed 11 of their last 13 shots to close out the second quarter, and the Pack held them to 0-of-4 and four turnovers in the opening 6:04 of the third quarter before Georgia Tech hit its first basket of the second half at the 3:56 mark.
The Wolfpack, meanwhile, shot 50 percent in the second and third quarters on its way to building up a double-digit lead that Georgia Tech would not overcome. Despite attempting a season-low 10 three pointers, NC State scored 32 points in the paint and was able to capitalize on its 11 offensive rebounds by scoring 12 second chance points.