The NC State women’s basketball team took on the Elon Phoenix in Reynolds Coliseum during finals week on Sunday and won 62-49, staying undefeated.
As the game got underway, NC State (9-0) made its presence known by gaining an early 11-5 lead over Elon (3-4) at the halfway mark of the first quarter. The leading scorer for the Wolfpack, sophomore center Elissa Cunane, proved that she earned that title by putting up 10 of the Pack’s first 15 points, ending the quarter up 15-8.
The team finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds, five from Cunane. Although shooting was not spectacular, the players still kept their focus.
“On a night like that, you have to keep battling and do the little things,” Cunane said.
The second quarter saw dominant offense from both sides as Elon started the period with a 9-0 run, even taking the lead in four minutes. However, NC State went on a 15-0 run with 3:30 left, taking a commanding 13-point lead by the end of the half. Some notable stats included Cunane recording a double-double and junior guard Kai Crutchfield nabbing four steals off Elon’s offense.
“We knew to pound it inside, give it to Elissa,” said junior forward Kayla Jones. “We knew they were going to double weak side, so we tried to work inside-out.”
The third quarter was a lot slower for NC State, as the Phoenix started the period off with a 9-3 run that was broken by an NC State free throw at 4:35. This period was one full of fouls, turnovers and penalties from both sides, so the pace of the game turned quite sluggish. Elon took advantage of this new pace and outscored the Wolfpack 14-8. It even managed to gain a 1-point lead at the 6:11 mark.
The Pack went 0 for 6 from beyond the 3-point line, which was uncharacteristic of the team, since the team usually hovers around 50% from deep.
“We’ve been shooting the 3 really well,” said head coach Wes Moore. “I’ve been telling them, ‘There’s going to come a time where you’re not shooting the ball well, and you’re going to have to win by doing other things.’”
In the fourth quarter, NC State picked up the pace in both scoring and hustle stats. The Pack still looked slow, but seemed to get a little bit of its swagger back, as it added to its already impressive 15 offensive rebounds by grabbing three more in the period. Elon almost took the lead back when it came within two points, but thanks to good ball movement and great shot selection, NC State managed to hold onto its lead and outscore Elon 20-12 in the last quarter.
This performance was one of the more lackluster for this team so far this season, but it should bounce back in the next game against Chattanooga (1-11) at home Thursday, Dec. 19.
