No. 9 NC State women’s basketball took down the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 80-46 in Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday bringing its record to 23-3 on the season.
The Wolfpack (23-3, 10-3 ACC) had five players score double digits, with freshman forward Esra McGoldrick scoring a career-high 10 points. The Pack quickly sped past the Demon Deacons (10-16, 1-12 ACC), scoring 27 points in the first 10 minutes.
The Pack came out strong defensively as Wake Forest was scoreless for three minutes, leading NC State to go on an offensive run. Graduate Kiara Leslie scored the team’s first bucket as she knocked down a 3-pointer from behind the arc.
“I thought they came out with a lot of energy,” head coach Wes Moore said. “I thought our transition was a lot better than it had been Monday night.”
With jumpers from junior guard Aislinn Konig and sophomore guard Kai Crutchfield, the Pack went on a 15-2 run to end the first quarter.
The Pack opened up the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers from Konig within the first four minutes. She scored a third later in the quarter, bringing her to 4 for 4 from behind the arc.
The Wolfpack closed out the half with a shot in the paint from McGoldrick, who finished 4 for 6 from the field.
At the beginning of the third, Wake Forest remained scoreless for four straight minutes. Sophomore Kayla Jones attacked the basket as she had five points in a row. The Pack went 5 for 13 in the third, shooting 38.5 percent from the floor, which was the lowest scoring quarter of the game for the Wolfpack.
The end of the third quarter slowed the tempo of the game down as both teams closed out the final minutes 0 for 4 from the field.
The Wolfpack came with intensity in the fourth quarter as three different players knocked shots down behind the arc. McGoldrick knocked down two 3-pointers with less than five minutes to play. She finished with 10 points while snagging five rebounds.
The Pack being up 68-32 allowed junior Katie Wadsworth to come in with eight minutes left to play, giving other NC State players the opportunity to take shots.
Crutchfield finished with a big game, totaling 12 points, six defensive rebounds and three assists.
“With Kai, the thing that I was happy about was rebounding,” Moore said. “Kai is such a great athlete with a strong body.”
After a loss to Notre Dame on Monday, this win was important for the Pack, in order to give it confidence to finish out the rest of conference play strong, especially before traveling to Chapel Hill on Sunday.
“I feel like we are still continuing to go back to how we were when we were 21-0,” Crutchfield said. “Of course the injuries kinda shook us up a little bit, but as we start to get back on track, I feel like it’s going to be good. Especially going on these last few ACC games and then the ACC Tournament, as we continue to execute on offense and defense, and like Jones said, sharing the ball, we will be good. ”
The Wolfpack will head to Chapel Hill to take on rival UNC this Sunday at noon.
Kiara Leslie, a graduate guard, prepares to shoot a basket, at Reynolds Colleisum on Thursday, Feb 21, 2019. Wolfpack beat the Demon Deacons 80-46.
