Cunane, Jones Selected in Second Round of 2022 WNBA Draft
4/11/2022 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
NEW YORK – NC State women's basketball center Elissa Cunane and forward Kayla Jones became the 17th and 18th draft picks in team history as they were selected in the second round of the 2022 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft.
Elissa Cunane, a nine-time All-American and three-time First Team All-ACC honoree, was selected 17th overall by the Seattle Storm. Kayla Jones, a 2021 First Team All-ACC honoree, was selected 22nd overall by the Minnesota Lynx.
It marks the first time since 2014 that a pair of Wolfpack players have been selected in the same WNBA Draft and the first time that two NC State products have gone in the first two rounds. They are the fourth and fifth Wolfpack players to be chosen in the draft since head coach Wes Moore took over the program ahead of the 2013-14 campaign.
Cunane was an integral part of one of the best four-year spans in NC State women's basketball history and leaves the Wolfpack as one of the program's most decorated players. She was most recently named a consensus All-American by the AP, USBWA and WBCA following the 2021-22 season in addition to repeating as ACC Tournament MVP. She helped the Wolfpack to four ACC championships (three tournament titles, one regular-season crown) during her career.
During her four seasons with the Wolfpack, Cunane played in 125 total games and earned 101 starts. She averaged 26.1 minutes, 14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field (648-of-1200), 41.1 percent from three-point range (46-of-112) and 80.2 percent from the charity stripe (513-of-640).
The Summerfield, N.C., native ended her time at NC State ranked sixth in program history in career points (1,855), fifth in rebounds (986) and seventh in double-doubles (34). She is the program record holder in free throws made (513) in addition to ranking in the Wolfpack's top 10 in a multitude of other statistical categories.
Considered the "glue player" for the Wolfpack after earning a starting role the past three seasons, Jones showed an ability to fill up the stat sheet and step in wherever needed for a top-five NC State team. She was a First Team All-ACC honoree last season and ended her career with over 1,000 career points.
Following her senior year in 2020-21, Jones was one of three players in the ACC to average 11+ points, 7+ rebounds and 2.5+ assists on the year. With the Pack's scoring attack more spread out in 2021-22, Jones still earned All-ACC recognition after scoring in double figures in 12 games, dishing out three or more assists in 13 outings and posting a pair of double-doubles.
Across her five-year career at NC State, Jones played in 139 games and earned the starting nod in 88 outings. She averaged 20+ minutes per game in each of the Pack's three most recent seasons while also posting averages of 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists since the start of 2019-20.
A native of Jamesville, N.C., Jones shot 47.6 percent overall (414-of-870) and 35.5 percent from distance (119-of-335) on her career. She leaves NC State ranked in the program's top 15 in three-point percentage and rebounds (734).
The 2022 WNBA season tips off on Friday, May 6, and the league's 26th regular season will conclude on Sunday, Aug. 14, followed by the WNBA Playoffs.
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