The No. 8 NC State women’s basketball team got back on track Thursday night, beating Syracuse 69-60 on Senior Night inside Reynolds Coliseum.

The Wolfpack (24-4, 13-4 ACC) snapped its three-game home losing streak, beating the Orange (15-13, 9-8 ACC) for its first win inside Reynolds in over a month as NC State’s four seniors were honored on the court prior to the game.

“Made a decision to start [the seniors],” said NC State head coach Wes Moore. “We hadn’t been getting off to great starts so I didn’t think we had a lot to lose, and sure enough they gave us a lift right off the bat. I always say ‘If you’re playing well I’ll leave it alone’. I hadn’t planned on them playing as many minutes as some of them did, but they were playing well and so we rode with it.”

In honor of the class of 2020’s senior night and the final regular-season game of the year in Reynolds Coliseum, head coach Wes Moore began the game with graduate guard Kaila Ealey, redshirt senior guard Grace Hunter and senior center Erika Cassell in the lineup. Senior guard Aislinn Konig and junior forward Kayla Jones also started the game, as usual, with Konig honored alongside her senior peers. 

Moore let his four seniors play most of the game and they made sure his decision paid off. Cassell scored a season-high 12 points and hauled in nine rebounds, Konig scored 13 points and dished out five assists, Hunter canned two triples and pulled down five rebounds, and Ealey nabbed two steals. The Wolfpack’s veteran leaders came through and delivered the team’s first home win in over a month.

“It’s just really special to be able to play with the seniors,” Konig said. “… We’re able to come out and play a really amazing game and also get a win for our fans. It’s something that is very emotional and also super exciting being able to head into the postseason with a good win.”

Sophomore center Elissa Cunane drew two and-1 fouls in her first three minutes on the floor, and a third foul right before the end of the half, securing eight points on just two shots from the floor in the quarter. However, the star center fouled out of the game in just 11 minutes of action. Freshman wing Jakia Brown-Turner, junior guard Kai Crutchfield and Cunane did not play many minutes in all, as the seniors kept the intensity high for the duration of the game.

“I think it says a lot about how much these players care for each other,” Moore said. “They wanted the seniors to go out right. Even though some of them didn’t get the playing time they normally have, I don’t think they care, I really don’t. I think they are so happy for the seniors and I think that was definitely a factor and that we realize what is on the table here, we have to maintain it.”

In the second quarter, the Wolfpack turned on the heat, connecting on 7 of 12 field goals to open the half, and absolutely scorching the Orange from anywhere on the court. The fast-paced tempo that the Pack ran worked wonders against a porous Syracuse defense, and mid-way through the quarter, the team had eight assists on 14 made buckets.

NC State broke out of its three-game third quarter slump, where it had been outscored by 22 points in total. While the team began the quarter in a slump, it surged ahead to score seven straight points in the last minute and a half.

Jones finished with yet another strong performance, ending the game with a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, 12 points, four assists and a block. Important, yet oft-overlooked aspects of Jones’s game, are her ability to create shots for her teammates and her passing ability.

“We knocked down some shots, Kayla Jones knocked down a couple of 3’s, [Konig] knocked down three 3’s and Grace Hunter knocked down a couple,” Moore said. “I guess you have to look at [Jones] and [Konig], who are two players that have not been shooting the 3 well this month. So for them to get going, that’s encouraging, if we can keep that bottled up, keep it going as we head into the postseason, that’s a big plus for us.”

Next up, the Wolfpack will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia in order to take on the Virginia Cavaliers in the team’s final regular-season game of the year. Another win would give the Pack the momentum it needs heading into the ACC Tournament. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 1.