NC State
23-7 (11-5ACC)
North Carolina (ACCT 2nd Round)
15-16 (4-12ACC)
#23 Wolfpack Beats Tar Heels for Third Time, Advances to Quarters
3/1/2018 1:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NC State commits a season-low five turnovers in victory
Postgame Quotes
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 23/22 NC State women's basketball team (23-7) advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2018 ACC Tournament on Thursday with a 77-64 win over the rival UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels inside Greensboro Coliseum. The victory was NC State's fourth straight over UNC and sixth in the last seven meetings between the teams.
With the win, NC State advances to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament to take on No. 18/15 Duke Friday morning at 11 am.
NC State saw four players score in double digits. Sophomore guard Aislinn Konig led the Wolfpack with 19 points as she connected on five of her seven shots from behind the arc. She was joined in double figures by Chelsea Nelson (13), Kiara Leslie (13), and Akela Maize (12).
UNC's Paris Kea led all players on the floor with 27 points. Jamie Cherry (15) and Janelle Bailey (10) also added double-digit performances.
Postgame Notes
-NC State has won six of the last seven in the series with UNC and leads the overall series 57-50.
-Thursday's game marked the first time since 2006-07 that the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels have matched up three times in the same season. NC State's win marked the first time since the 1989-1990 campaign that the Wolfpack has gone 3-0 against the Tar Heels.
-NC State was dominant in the paint as it outscored UNC 36-18 in that category.
-The Wolfpack took care of the ball, turning it over a season-low five times.
Kea started hot for UNC, going 3-4 from long range early to help the Tar Heels jump out to an 11-3 lead.
After missing seven of its first eight field goal attempts, the Wolfpack outscored the Tar Heels 19-5 in the final 5:35 of the first quarter. Erika Cassell knocked down a pair of free throws with 3:14 remaining in the opening period to give NC State a lead that it would not relinquish.
The Pack led by as many as 10 points on two occasions in the first half and carried a 43-37 advantage into halftime.
The Tar Heels managed to keep the Wolfpack's lead to single digits for the entirety of the third quarter, but NC State nailed shots on three of its first four possessions of the fourth quarter to open up a 13-point lead. UNC got no closer than 10 for the remainder of the game as the Pack secured its spot in the quarterfinal round.
NC State returns to action in the ACC Tournament on Friday, March 2 as it takes on No. 18/15 Duke. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. from Greensboro Coliseum and will be broadcast live on the ACC's Regional Sports Network affiliates (Fox Sports South in Raleigh).
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