NC State
6-1,0-0ACC
Washington State
4-1,0-0Pac-12
#5 NC State Wins Sixth Straight in 62-34 Decision Over Washington State
11/27/2021 7:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NASSAU, Bahamas – Fifth-ranked NC State women's basketball (6-1) went perfect in Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship action as it rounded out its week with a 62-34 win over Washington State (4-1) on Saturday night.
With the victory, the Wolfpack extended its winning streak to six games, handed Washington State its first loss of the season and remained perfect (3-0) all-time against the Cougars. Between Saturday's decision and Thursday's 78-60 win over Maryland, NC State out-scored opponents by an average of 23 points in the Bahamas tournament. All six of the Pack's wins in 2021-22 have been by 18+ points, and four of those six victories have been against Power Five opponents.
Diamond Johnson led the Wolfpack with another stellar performance, posting a game-high 24 points for her highest scoring output of the 2021-22 campaign. The performance was her eighth 20+ point night of her career and her first as a member of the Wolfpack. Johnson shot 10-of-16 and 4-of-5 from distance, with her four threes marking her most in a single game this season. She added a team-high four steals as the Pack posted a season-high 12 in that category.
Johnson was the only member of either team to score in double figures, but senior center Elissa Cunane finished just shy of her second double-double in a row with nine points and a team-leading nine rebounds.
As a team, NC State put together a stellar defensive effort, as Washington State's 34 points marked the fewest that the Pack has given up to any team this season. The Wolfpack limited the Cougars to just 14 field goals (14-of-55, 25.5 percent) and held them to just two buckets (2-of-12, 16.7 percent) in the final quarter of the game. NC State also managed to hold Washington State's top three scorers who each averaged double figures to a combined 15 points.
The Pack also had significant advantages in rebounds (49-36) and offensive rebounds (16-9).
Both teams struggled from the field early, but NC State found its stride in the second quarter and took advantage of some scoreless droughts by Washington State. The Wolfpack scored 12 of the last 16 points of the first half to go into the break with a 14-point lead (30-16), and the team opened up its 20+ point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. NC State scored 21 unanswered points from the 3:55 mark of the third to the 5:05 mark of the fourth to put the game well out of reach.
NC State continues its stretch away from home on Thursday, Dec. 2 when it makes a trip to take on fourth-ranked Indiana in the 2021 installment of the B1G/ACC Challenge. Tip-off from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
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