Raleigh, NC – No. 4 NC State women’s basketball (25-3, 16-1 ACC) was firing on all cylinders in its final home game of the 2021-22 regular season, defeating visiting Syracuse (11-15, 4-12 ACC) by a 95-53 score inside Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
NC State vs Syracuse Box score – 2.20.22
With the win, NC State clinched at least a share of the 2022 ACC regular season title and can secure the outright win with a victory in its regular-season finale next week. It is the first regular regular season championship for the program since 1990.
NC State clinched its share of the ACC regular-season title with win
The Wolfpack ended its ACC home slate with a perfect 9-0 record. Sunday afternoon’s win was also the Pack’s 25th of the year, marking its fifth 25+ win season in the Wes Moore era.
NC State celebrated the careers of four members of its senior class – Kai Crutchfield, Elissa Cunane, Kayla Jones and Raina Perez. Those four combined for 46 points on their Senior Day.
Elissa Cunane & Kayla Jones spoke to the media after the win
Jones led the way for the Wolfpack with a season-high 18 points, shooting 8-of-12 (.667) from the floor and adding in a team-high two steals. Elissa Cunane notched her seventh double-double of the year (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Jakia Brown-Turner added 14 of her own with a 6-of-9 shooting performance.
The team assisted on 25 of its 42 made buckets, with five different players pitching in 3+ dishes. Most impressively, Brown-Turner (6 assists) and Cunane (4 assists) both set season highs without turning the ball over once between them.
NC State shot 54.5 percent (42-of-77) and only knocked down five three pointers but dominated the paint. The Pack outscored the Orange 62-16 inside and added 24 points on the fast break.
The Wolfpack took a 9-0 lead early to force Syracuse into a timeout and never trailed in the game. The team led by as much as 45 points (86-41) at the 5:09 mark of the fourth quarter.
NC State also got 35 points off the bench, with 11 of the 12 available players hitting the scoring column.
The Wolfpack has an open date on Thursday and then rounds out its regular season schedule on the road on Sunday, Feb. 27 when it makes the trip to Virginia Tech. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. from Blacksburg, Va., and the game will be televised nationally on the ACC Network.