The third-seeded NC State women’s basketball team downed the sixth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats 72-57 on Monday night at Reynolds Coliseum in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Huge nights from graduate guard Kiara Leslie and freshman center Elissa Cunane powered the Wolfpack (28-5, 12-4 ACC) past a strong Wildcats (25-8, 11-5 SEC) team to its second straight trip to the Sweet 16.
“Couldn’t be prouder of a team and a group of young ladies,” head coach Wes Moore said. “They just keep amazing me.”
The Wolfpack struggled to adjust to the Wildcats’ full-court press in the early minutes of the game, but a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Kai Crutchfield kickstarted a 3-pointer heavy 18-7 run for the Pack; NC State connected on three 3-pointers during its run to take an 18-10 lead.
The teams traded baskets in a fast-paced game for the remainder of the quarter, and NC State held an eight-point lead, 25-17, to finish the quarter.
A quick 5-0 run for Kentucky cut the Pack’s lead to just three points early in the second quarter, but a mid-range jumper from Leslie and two free throws from Cunane pushed the Pack’s lead up to seven.
“I just thought [Leslie and DD Rogers] set the tone from the start of the game,” Moore said. “And this freshman [Cunane] isn’t bad either.”
After a good start to the game on offense for both teams, the defensive intensity picked up in the second half of the second quarter, and a 3-pointer by sophomore forward Kayla Jones and a free throw by the senior forward Rogers were the Pack’s only points over the last five and a half minutes of the half.
The Pack struggled to contain SEC Freshman of the Year Rhyne Howard (21 points, seven rebounds), as the Wildcats’ star forward lit the Wolfpack up for 15 points and two 3-pointers in the first half.
NC State was able to tame the Wildcats’ barrage of 3-pointers to open the third quarter, holding on to a 44-41 advantage at the quarter’s media timeout despite three 3-pointers for Kentucky, including two from guard Maci Morris.
Playing in her last game in the friendly confines of Reynolds Coliseum, Leslie took over in the third quarter, scoring eight points and hitting two 3-pointers to answer every Kentucky scoring burst and keep NC State in the lead.
Fueled by five points from Leslie and a free throw each from Rogers and Cunane, the Wolfpack started the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to open up a 60-48 lead that it never relinquished. As it’s done all season, the Wolfpack leaned almost exclusively on its five starters, with Leslie, Rogers, Cunane, Crutchfield and junior guard Aislinn Konig all playing at least 33 minutes.
“We knew we were going to have a day off tomorrow and there’d be time to recover,” Moore said. “We danced with the ones that brung us here.”
Leslie was unstoppable all night, torching Kentucky for 26 points (4-for-9 3FG) and 10 rebounds in her Reynolds Coliseum sendoff. Playing in her last game at home as well, Rogers tallied a double-double of her own, racking up 11 points and 11 rebounds in her farewell game.
“I feel like I definitely feed off of the energy of the crowd,” Rogers said. “It definitely pumps me up to play even harder. Our fans are great.”
As unstoppable as Leslie was on offense, Cunane was equally peerless on the glass; the freshman corralled a career-high 15 rebounds and carried her share of the load on offense as well, scoring 13 points and dishing out a career-high six assists.
The dominance on the glass of Cunane, Rogers and Leslie led the Wolfpack to a decisive 50-31 rebounding advantage and 17 second-chance points, a deciding factor against a tough Kentucky team.
“[Rebounding] is always a huge emphasis for us going into the game,” Cunane said. “We knew that rebounding was going to win the game.”
NC State will return to action on Saturday in the Greensboro Coliseum against No. 2 Iowa in the Sweet 16.
Sophomore guard Kai Crutchfield makes a three-point shot against Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 25, 2019 at Reynolds Coliseum. Crutchfield recorded 11 points, six assists and three rebounds in the Wolfpack’s 72-57 win to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the tournament.
