In a battle of undefeated teams, N.C. State women’s basketball team (5-0) defeated Tulane (4-1) at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, 69-55. The Wolfpack’s 5-0 start is its best since the 2001-2002 season when State won its first six games.
“Our kids did a pretty good job on keeping them pushed down and putting enough pressure on the ball to where they couldn’t hurt us,” head coach Wes Moore said. “After not playing for about a week, it wasn’t really pretty, but hopefully, we can move from it and move on.”
“I think we can play better than we played today. Either way it’s a good win, and I need to learn how to enjoy all of the wins. But on the other side, we’re trying to win fans over, so if we’re not executing and not aesthetically pleasing to watch, then it hurts our process of building our fan base. We’ll take the win, break this game down on film and move on.”
Senior forward Kody Burke led the Wolfpack against the Green Wave with a season-high 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said Burke’s offensive versatility made her unstoppable on Sunday.
“Burke just killed us,” Stockton said. “We couldn’t contain her. Trying to contain her on the block is hard enough, but then she hits those outside shots. That was really tough.”
Burke said she has worked hard to improve her jump shooting.
“I think I’m getting a little bit more comfortable shooting the outside shot,” Burke said. “It’s just a matter of getting my shots before and after practice. A lot of reps have helped a lot.”
State committed 21 personal fouls against Tulane’s 18 on Saturday, with senior center Markeisha Gatling and Myisha Goodwin-Coleman both committing four fouls against the Green Wave. The Wolfpack players gave the Green Wave 18 points from the free throw line on 21 attempts.
Gatling said she was worried about fouling out once she got into foul trouble.
“I was a little bit concerned about my fouls,” Gatling said. “The refs weren’t really on our side tonight, but that’s just something I have to deal with.”
After the Pack surrendered a three-point basket to open the game, Burke responded with a three of her own and then a layup on State’s next possession. The Pack would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game, and went into halftime with an eight-point lead.
The Pack’s offense ignited in the second half, opening with a 16-6 run. The Green Wave attempted to stage a comeback, but State promptly regrouped and outscored Tulane 20-16 in the remaining minutes to claim the 14-point victory.
The Pack’s stout defense forced 18 Tulane turnovers, taking advantage of the miscues by scoring 20 points off the Green Wave’s turnovers.
