The NC State women’s basketball team ran circles around Lamar Thursday night in Reynolds Coliseum, thrashing its fellow red-and-white opponent 80-41 for its third straight win.
In a game where the Wolfpack (3-0) never trailed, it used an incredibly balanced attack on offense. NC State had six players with at least seven points and four in double digits as it opened up an early 16-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back, cruising past the Big Red (1-2).
“I thought we came out pretty strong to start the game,” said NC State head coach Wes Moore. “Offensively, we got some things going well … it’s good to get some confidence in before the schedule gets tougher.”
Junior forward Kayla Jones dominated the first half for NC State, taking it to Lamar down low and finishing through contact for a wildly efficient 10 points on just three shots. Jones hit all three of her shots from the field in the half and went 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. The North Carolina native finished tied for the team lead in scoring with 15 points and knocked down 4 of 5 shots from the floor.
“I think she’s learned to love coach Moore,” Moore said. “I think she’s playing with a lot of confidence, and she’s realizing that she’s the person now.”
Senior guard Aislinn Konig continued to struggle shooting for NC State, missing her first six 3-pointers, but as usual, her impact went beyond the scoring columns. In her second year running the point, Konig has made huge strides as a playmaker. The Surrey, British Columbia native dished out all five of the Pack’s assists in the first half, constantly setting her teammates up off the dribble.
“She had a good game tonight, [with] six assists and one turnover,” Moore said. “She’s struggling to shoot the ball right now, but that’s the way you’ve got to be. If you aren’t shooting the ball well, can you still help this team win games even if your shot’s not going?”
Not content with just a strong first-half effort, the Wolfpack came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter. Junior guard Kai Crutchfield hit all three of her shots from the field in the quarter, scoring six points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists in the period as she kept NC State’s intensity up.
It only took a handful of games, but after an extensive knee injury last season, redshirt senior guard Grace Hunter was back to her old self. Hunter displayed the burst and athleticism that helped her lead the team in scoring at the time of her injury last season, scoring a team-high 15 points on 5 for 8 shooting, including a 3 for 4 clip from downtown. She also wasn’t afraid to work around down low too, snagging six rebounds.
“It felt really good,” Hunter said. “It’s definitely been a tough stretch, but I just thank my coaches for having confidence in me and my teammates. It feels really good. It’s definitely coming back. I definitely can still get more explosive and strong, but it’s coming back slowly and surely.”
Against an undersized Lamar squad, NC State had its way with the Big Red down low, outrebounding its opponents 56-34. Sophomore center Elissa Cunane bullied her defenders in the paint, with 14 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, while Crutchfield, freshman guard Jakia Brown-Turner, Hunter, Jones and senior center Erika Cassell all grabbed at least five boards.
“We saw they were a little undersized, and I always think we can feed it inside,” Cunane said. “We have great shooters on the outside, so feeding it inside, you got to pick your poison, so it was a really good game tonight.”
With the 6-foot-1 Jones and 6-foot-5 Cunane roaming the paint down low, NC State is one of the biggest teams in the ACC, and Moore likes to see his squad take advantage of that in nonconference play to prepare for the much taller ACC teams.
“Rebounding is sexy,” Moore said.
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Nov. 19 at Reynolds Coliseum for a matchup with Maine. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. for Education Day.
