NC State
5-1,0-0ACC
#2/3 Maryland
6-1,0-0Big Ten
Wolfpack Emerges Victorious, 78-60, in Top-Five Clash with Maryland
11/25/2021 12:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NASSAU, Bahamas – In its second top-five matchup of the still-early 2021-22 campaign, the fifth-ranked NC State women's basketball team (5-1) toppled second-ranked Maryland (6-1) by a 78-60 score in the opening game of the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship on Thursday afternoon.
The victory extended the Wolfpack's winning streak over Maryland to four games dating back to the 2013-14 regular season, and head coach Wes Moore remained a perfect 4-0 against the Terrapins since arriving at NC State ahead of that same season. Thursday's win marked the fifth over a top-five opponent in the Coach Moore era, with four of those victories coming in the last two seasons.
Elissa Cunane and Jakia Brown-Turner both posted double-doubles to highlight four Wolfpack players who scored in double figures. Cunane scored a team-leading 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting and added 10 rebounds, and Brown-Turner tallied 12 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds. The double-doubles marked Cunane's 27th of her career and Brown-Turner's fourth.
Diamond Johnson turned in another impressive performance with 17 points, eight boards, five assists and four steals, and the sophomore guard led NC State in hitting three triples on the outing. Raina Perez also hit double figures in scoring with 11, and she added a pair of three pointers and four assists.
The Wolfpack shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) and limited Maryland to 34.3 percent (23-of-67), 13 percent below the Terrapins' season average coming into the outing. Both teams struggled from long range, but NC State posted 46 of its points in the paint to Maryland's 30. The Wolfpack also out-rebounded Maryland by a margin of 13 (47-34).
NC State hit the last two buckets of the opening quarter to build up a 10-point lead (22-12) after 10 minutes, but the team put together an electric second quarter to take control in the first half. The Wolfpack shot a scorching 12-of-16 (.750), its best single-quarter shooting percentage of the season, and hit three of its four first-half threes in the second quarter alone. NC State carried a commanding 22-point advantage (49-27) into the break, marking its biggest halftime lead of the season.
The closest Maryland came in the second half was 15 points with 4:42 remaining, but NC State led by as many as 24 on multiple occasions, including as late as the start of the fourth quarter.
A total of nine players contributed to the scoring column in Thursday's win, and Jada Boyd made her return to the rotation after missing the first five outings recovering from an injury. Boyd provided a great spark off the bench in the first quarter, tallying five quick points in the period on her way to posting seven total.
NC State rounds out action at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship on Saturday, Nov. 27 as it takes on Washington State. Tip-off from Nassau is set for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed live on FloHoops for fans who have a subscription, and Andrew Sanders will have the radio call on WKNC 88.1 FM in Raleigh.
#GoPack | @PackWomensBball
