Down Goes #10! Wolfpack Defeats Florida State 65-56

Thursday, February 1

Raleigh

7PM

NC State

18-5, 7-3

#10/11 Florida State

18-4, 6-3

#10/11 Florida State

NC State

Down Goes #10! Wolfpack Defeats Florida State 65-56

2/1/2018 9:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score @PackWomensBball

NC State earns sixth top-10 victory since 2013-14

February 1, 2018

RALEIGH – The NC State women's basketball team (18-5, 7-3 ACC) picked up its sixth straight ACC win in exciting fashion on Thursday evening, defeating the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles by a final score of 65-56 inside Reynolds Coliseum.

Akela Maize led the Wolfpack and all scorers on the floor with 18 points on 7-11 (.636) shooting. Kiara Leslie, who put up 16 points, scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, as did Chelsea Nelson, who tallied 11 points in addition to her team-high eight rebounds and four assists. Kaila Ealey recorded 14 points for the Wolfpack, going an impressive 10-11 from the free throw line.

Florida State had three players score in double digits, as Imani Wright (13), Shakayla Thomas (10), and Nausia Woolfolk (10) led the way for the Seminoles, but the Wolfpack remained strong on the defensive side of the ball. NC State held Florida State to just 22-66 (.333) shooting, which ties as the Seminoles' second-lowest shooting percentage on the season.

Postgame Notes
-NC State extended its lead in its all-time series with Florida State to 29-15. The Wolfpack is 15-7 over the Seminoles at home. It was also the second straight win over Florida State.
-The Wolfpack held the Seminoles to just 56 points, well below the team's average of 85.0 points per game coming into the matchup.
-The victory was NC State's sixth in a row. The last time that the Wolfpack recorded six consecutive conference wins was during the 2013-14 season.
-To add to the defensive effort, the Wolfpack blocked seven shots on the night (Maize tied her career high with five).
-Florida State, which outrebounds its opponents by an average of 12.6 rebounds per game, only held a 39-34 advantage on the glass over NC State.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the field during a tight first quarter. Aislinn Konig knocked down two triples, and Maize went 3-4 from the field during the opening 10 minutes of play.

After Florida State converted two free throws early in the second quarter, NC State went on an 8-0 run, capped off by a Nelson steal and dish to Leslie, who scored a transition bucket to take a 23-20 lead. The Seminoles managed to halt the run and took a 26-25 lead into the break.

Maize scored down low to get the Wolfpack rolling in the second half. The Pack opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run, keeping Florida State scoreless for the first 4:04 of the period. NC State led by as much as 10 on two occasions (36-26 and 41-31), but the Seminoles responded to cut the Wolfpack's lead to just two (41-39) heading into the final period of play.

Florida State took its first lead since the start of the second half when Ama Degbeon scored through contact and completed the three-point play just 38 seconds into the fourth quarter. With the score tied at 47 apiece, Maize nailed a jump shot to give the Wolfpack a two-point lead with 4:15 remaining. The senior center tallied a total of 8 points during a clutch span of 2:07 late in the fourth quarter. NC State showed tremendous poise from the charity stripe down the stretch, going 13-14 over the final 2:22 of the game to secure the victory.

Highlights from our sixth straight @accwbb win! #GoPack pic.twitter.com/ukbcTUoq8F
— NC State WBB ???? (@PackWomensBball) February 2, 2018

NC State is back at home on Sunday, Feb. 4 as it plays host to Boston College. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. from Reynolds Coliseum, with live video coverage provided by ACC Network Extra.

#GoPack | @PackWomensBball