SAN ANTONIO, Texas — In the Mercado Region of the NCAA Women’s Tournament, NC State (22-2) tries to prove their seeding. In the previous seed reveals from the committee, the Wolfpack were on the 2-seed line; however, following their run in the ACC Tournament, they jumped to the 1-seed line.
After a dominant 1st round win, they found themselves behind by 1 at halftime to 8-seed South Florida (19-4). However, a 10 to 4 run to start the 3rd quarter put NC State up by 7. By the end of the 3rd quarter, they were up 12, and they never looked back, winning 79-67.
Offensively, it was an all-around effort from the NC State team. As a team, they shot 47% from the field as all five starters scored in double-figures. Individually, they were led by Jakia Brown-Turner. She scored 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Also, Jada Boyd and Elissa Cunane both finished with double-doubles; Boyd had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Cunane had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“I think they only scored 11 points in the 3rd quarter so that was a big part of it. If you can defend like that, because again South Florida is an explosive offensive team. They have a lot of people that can hurt you,” head coach Wes Moore said of the 3rd quarter runs that put the game away.
Strong 3rd quarter propels NC State
Against NC A&T, NC State found themselves in a similarly close game at halftime. In that 1st round game, it was a strong surge at the beginning of the 3rd quarter that pushed them to a blowout victory.
On Tuesday, the matchup with USF was very similar. The 10-4 run to start the half was followed by a 12-2 run to end the quarter, securing the 12-point lead. After the game, Brown-Turner said her team is well aware of the importance of a strong 3rd quarter.
“I always tell my teammates the first 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter are the most important. Get out, get some stops. So defense created offense for us and that is how we were able to get up,” said Brown-Turner.
A big factor in both runs was NC State’s aggressiveness in getting to the free-throw line. NC State shot 8 of 9 from the stripe in the 3rd quarter as the lead grew. On the game, they shot 11 more free throws than USF, cashing 23 of 29 attempts.
Up Next
No. 1 NC State vs. No. 4 Indiana OR No. 12 Belmont, Saturday, March 27, Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
