The No. 1-seeded NC State women’s basketball team defeated No. 9-seeded Kansas State 89-57 in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 21 inside Reynolds Coliseum to advance to the team’s fourth straight Sweet 16.
The Wolfpack (31-3) opened up a big lead in the second quarter and never looked back, capitalizing on a lengthy field-goal drought from the Wildcats (20-13).
“Just couldn’t be prouder of these young ladies,” said head coach Wes Moore. “Every challenge that’s put before them, they just step up and are unbelievable. Off the court, on the court, I’m just so blessed to be around them. And so I’m just very thankful.”
Three different players scored at least 15 points, and every scholarship player scored for the Pack as it held Kansas State to 38.8% shooting and forced 16 turnovers at the other end of the court in a dominant display.
Graduate forward Kayla Jones, playing in her final game at Reynolds Coliseum, led the way with 18 points on 8 for 9 shooting, but graduate guard Raina Perez and sophomore guard Diamond Johnson weren’t far behind with 15 points each. Johnson shot a perfect 5 for 5 from deep.
The Wolfpack’s competitive flame could’ve died down early when senior center Elissa Cunane picked up her second foul of the game in the first four minutes. Instead, junior center Camille Hobby hit one of the biggest buckets of her NC State career, going up against Ayoka Lee, igniting the Pack in Cunane’s absence.
“Every time we call on [Hobby], she steps up against one of the best post players in the country and she did a phenomenal job on the defensive end and then was able to score the ball as well,” Moore said. “And so, again, it’s great to have this much talent and depth that you can, you know, rotate and somebody gets in foul trouble, somebody’s having an off night, we got a lot of people that can step in and we don’t miss a beat.”
Matching up with Lee, who set the NCAA record for points in a game earlier this season, would be a daunting task for any player. Hobby, however, was ready for the moment and ended the game with eight points and helped get Lee into some foul trouble of her own, as the All-Big 12 first teamer finished with just 12 points, well below her season average 22 points per game.
“She has a lot of confidence,” Moore said. “And she wants to have a bigger role, obviously, she will. But how many kids are going to do what she’s done? In the modern times of transfer portals and all that stuff, how many kids are going to sit there and say, ‘You know what, I’m just going to keep working and loving my teammates and being prepared,’? And you know, there’s been a lot of games that we wouldn’t have won without Camille Hobby. So it’s just a blessing to have her.”
Despite the fact that Cunane played just under four minutes in the first half, NC State came away with a 43-27 lead by halftime and five players had at least five points in the period.
“I was worried about it,” Moore said. “I didn’t know how we would respond. We also played this team earlier in the year. So I was worried about, you know, are we going to be a little complacent. Worried about, are they going to get emotional about it being the last game in Reynolds. And all that stuff. Like I said, none of that phased them.”
The Pack’s defense was also a major factor in its lead-building run, holding the Wildcats without a field goal for a stretch of eight minutes and 23 seconds between the first two quarters and forcing seven first-half turnovers.
NC State continued its ridiculous offensive domination through the second half as a double-digit lead continued to stretch, completely blowing out the Wildcats for the duration of the game. With six different players scoring in the third quarter, the Pack extended its lead, outscoring Kansas State 23-12 in the third and shooting 62.5% from the field in that period.
Similarly to the first-round game against Longwood, NC State was able to unload its bench in the fourth quarter which carried the Pack to the finish line, giving NC State the 32-point win.
Playing in their final game in Reynolds, Cunane, Perez, graduate guard Kai Crutchfield and Jones were all given standing ovations as they exited the court one last time.
“When they came in here, they took a leap of faith,” Moore said. “We weren’t in the top 10 year after year, whatever. And so they took a leap of faith to come to NC State and to build something. … It’s not easy jumping from high school to this level. It is tough. And so sometimes they don’t understand, but what they have done is unbelievable. They deserve a lot of curtain calls. Like I said, I have been riding their coattails now for a few years, and I may need to see if I can graduate this year, I don’t know. We’re going to miss them.”
Next up, NC State travels to Bridgeport, Connecticut for the Sweet 16 to take on fifth-seeded Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are responsible for one of the Pack’s three losses on the season. That game will be played on Saturday, March 26.
As for today’s game, Reynolds was packed and as loud as it has ever been, giving the departing players a deserved sendoff.
“It was amazing, just to hear how loud they were and just to leave on that note,” Jones said. “As a senior, I mean, it was a great feeling. And I’m sure all my teammates can say the same. To come out with a win like that, it was amazing.”
