NC State uses impressive third quarter to pull ahead of UNC, improve to 10-0 in ACC
N.C. State has a habit of making things way more interesting than they need to be.
Going on the road to face rival North Carolina, the Wolfpack dug itself into a hole early. To its credit, North Carolina had a lot to do with that. N.C. State, though, remained composed and came out on top.
The Wolfpack used a massive third quarter to improve to 10-0 in the ACC with a 66-58 win over the Tar Heels.
N.C. State, No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll, has seen it all in conference play. A few weeks ago against Louisville, the Pack battled back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. The Pack didn’t wait as long this time, but N.C. State did appear to be going through the motions early.
“We knew this would be a challenge,” Pack head coach Wes Moore said. “The first half was tough, they knocked down some big shots, but I’m proud of the players, being able to hang in there.”
As the Pack closes out the final month of the regular season, it can’t afford many more lapses like on Sunday. UNC (16-4, 6-4) dominated the first quarter right from the start. UNC led by as many as 12 in the first half, but the Wolfpack never felt out of it.
The Tar Heels led the entire first half, but left the door open for N.C. State to creep back in the game. UNC ended the first half hitting just two of nine attempts from the floor. Jada Boyd and Jakia Brown-Turner scored back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to six. That felt like a win for the Pack, which shot 42 percent from the field in the second quarter.
N.C. State started the third quarter on a 21-2 run, going up by as many as 13. Elissa Cunane sparked the run, scoring seven of the first nine points of the third. Cunane, who had just four points in the first half, finished with 11. Senior Kai Crutchfield and junior Jakia Brown-Turner were big for N.C. State, especially in the second half. The duo finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
“In the third quarter we were confident,” Moore said. “We were aggressive.”
Crutchfield hit an open 3 from the wing to push the State lead to eight with less than one minute remaining. It was just the third time this season she’s finished in double figures.
“I thought Kai hit the big shots in the fourth quarter,” Moore said.
Kennedy Todd-Williams, who went scoreless in the first meeting, led UNC with 15 points. Deja Kelly, the Tar Heels leading scorer, had an off night, and was held scoreless for the first time this season. It was the third time in her college career that she’s been scoreless, and the second time against N.C. State.
The Wolfpack has won 18 games straight against conference opponents. The only unbeaten team in the league, N.C. State remains in sole possession of first place. Sunday’s win was the 15th straight regular-season win against ACC teams. The Pack has a tough stretch coming up — N.C. State travels to Notre Dame on Tuesday before hosting Florida State on Thursday. Next Monday, they host Georgia Tech in the annual Play4Kay game.
“They’d rather play than practice, I promise you that,” Moore said. “Conference tournament you’re hoping to play three games in three days, so you just have to look at it that way.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 5:56 PM.
