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Photo by: Chris Baird

Photo by: Chris Downey

Photo by: Chris Baird

Elissa Cunane

Class:
Freshman
Height:
6-5
Hometown:
Summerfield, N.C.
High School:
Northern Guilford

2021-22 (SENIOR):

AP and USBWA All-American (Second Team)
WBCA All-American for first time in career (nation's top 10 players regardless of position)
2022 Lisa Leslie Award Top Five finalist and 2022 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot
Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list
Consensus First Team All-ACC
Bridgeport All-Region Team
Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Preseason WNIT Classic All-Tournament MVP
Played and started in all 36 games during the 2021-22 campaign
Averaged team-leading 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds while playing 25.8 minutes per game; also averaged 1.3 assists in the Pack's four-out, one-in system
Finished season as the only center in the nation averaging 50+ percent overall shooting, 40+ three-point shooting and 80+ percent free throw shooting
Surpassed 1,500 career points in Pack’s win over Saint Mary’s on Dec. 12; had 13 points and seven rebounds in first quarter alone and finished with 15 and nine
23 points in home game against Duke for highest scoring production of the season; tallied 10 points in the third quarter alone and 18 points in the paint
Scored 20+ points in a total of five games during the year
Led team in double-doubles with nine on the season; scored 10+ points in 28 games and had 10+ rebounds in 12 games in 2021-22
Named ESPN.com National Player of the Week on Jan. 10; averaged 19 points, nine rebounds and two steals in pair of NC State victories over UNC and Miami; shot 77.8 percent from the floor between those outings
Season-high four assists in the Pack’s Feb. 20 Senior Day victory over Syracuse; added 14 points and 10 rebounds to round out a double-double
Repeated as 2022 ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and shooting 52.8 percent in Wolfpack’s third-straight ACC Tournament title win
First ACC Tournament double-double of career with 20 points and 13 rebounds in semifinal victory over Virginia Tech
Scored most points of 10 career NCAA Tournament games in Elite Eight, tallying 18 against UConn; finished just shy of double-double with nine rebounds
Career-high three triples in home win over UNC
Set program record for career free throws made in the Pack’s Dec. 10 win at Pitt while ranking just fifth in career attempts; upped that number to 513 by the end of the season
Wrapped up NC State career also ranked sixth in points (1,855), fifth in rebounds (986), seventh in double-doubles (34), ninth in field goals made (648) and eighth in blocks (114)
All-ACC Academic Team member
Selected by the Seattle Storm in the 2022 WNBA Draft (round 2, pick 17)

2020-21 (JUNIOR):

ESPN All-American (First Team)
AP and USBWA All-American (Second Team)
WBCA All-American (Honorable Mention)
Consensus First Team All-ACC honoree
Named 2021 ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 23.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 62.5 percent (25-of-40) shooting in three Wolfpack wins; her 70 total points marked the fifth-most by a player in a single ACC Tournament in the last 20 years
2021 Lisa Leslie Award Top Five finalist and 2021 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot
Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist
Recipient of the Caulton Tudor Award, which recognizes the Triangle basketball player who is most cooperative with the media
Averaged team-leading 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 53.3 percent shooting in 26.9 minutes of action per game
Scored in double figures in all but one game this season, including six 20+ point outings and seven double-doubles
Reached 1,000 career points in the Pack's season opener; only active junior in the ACC to surpass that mark
Ended the season ranked sixth in the ACC in scoring (16.3), fifth in rebounding (8.3), second in field-goal percentage (.533) and third in free throw percentage (.843)
Field-goal percentage of 53.3 percent was also ranked 26th nationally to conclude the season
Shot 50+ percent from the floor in 13 outings, including two perfect shooting nights (6-of-6 against NC Central and 9-of-9 against Boston College); her night against the Eagles marked the best single-game shooting performance by a Wolfpack player in Reynolds Coliseum
Scored season-high 27 points against Virginia Tech in the ACC quarterfinals; scored 18 of her 27 in the second half to finish just one point short of her career high
Hauled in season-high 15 rebounds to post a double-double in NC State's comeback win at Boston College
Knocked down three three-pointers against Miami on Dec. 20, setting a new career high
Seven games with more assists than turnovers as the focal point of the Pack's offense
All-ACC Academic Team member

2019-20 (SOPHOMORE):

AP and USBWA All-American (Third Team)
Unanimous First Team All-ACC honoree
Named to the 2020 All-ACC Tournament Team after averaging 15 points, 50 percent shooting and six rebounds in three Wolfpack victories
2020 Lisa Leslie Award Top Five finalist and 2020 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot
Also featured on the Citizen Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List and the Wade Trophy Watch List
Named ACC Player of the Week on two occasions during the regular season (Dec. 16 and Jan. 6), the first Wolfpack player to do so since the 2010-11 season
Averaged a team-leading 16.4 points and 9.6 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game
Ended the season ranked in the national top 30 in five individual statistical categories: double-doubles (14), defensive rebounds per game (6.9), field-goal percentage (.547), free throws made (159), total rebounds (308)
Only player in the conference to finish the regular season averaging a double-double
Only player in the ACC to rank in the top six in the league in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage
Surpassed 500 career rebounds in the Wolfpack's victory over Virginia on March 1
Put together a streak of four straight double-doubles from Nov. 30 through Dec. 15
Scored 20+ points in 10 outings and 10+ points in all but five games
Tied career high in scoring on two occasions this season with 28 points against Virginia Tech (Jan. 2) and Elon (Dec. 15)
Led the ACC in 10-rebound games with 15 on the year. Set a career high in rebounds with 19 against North Texas on Dec. 1
Set single-season program record for made free throws with 159
Also a threat from long range as she shot 17-of-38 (.447) from behind the arc

2018-19 (FRESHMAN):

All-ACC Freshman Team
All-ACC Academic Team
First Team All-ACC Tournament
Named ACC Rookie of the Week on Dec. 10, Jan. 28, Feb. 18 and March 4
Named USBWA National Freshman of the Week on Jan. 29
Started 11 games and played all 34 in her debut season with the Wolfpack, averaging 24.8 minutes, 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game
Scored 10+ points 22 times and 20+ points seven times
Scored a season-high 28 points against No. 5 Notre Dame on Feb. 18
Played a season-high 40 minutes and collected a season-high 15 rebounds in NC State's NCAA Tournament second-round win over No. 17 Kentucky on March 25
Made 136 free throws to rank as the most by a freshman in program history
Scored 464 total points to rank as the second best freshman scoring season in program history
Her 13.6 points per game rank fifth best among freshmen in program history
Her 213 rebounds rank as the sixth most by a freshman in program history
Shot 162-of-295 (.549) from the field to rank seventh in freshman history at NC State.

PRIOR TO NC STATE:

No. 21 nationally in the class of 2018 Prospects Nation rankings and fifth at her position
Four-star post player with a scout's grade of 95
2016 HSXtra Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Averaged 20.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a junior at Northern Guilford High School
That season, helped lead her team to a 31-1 record en route to winning the North Carolina 3A Championship

COACH MOORE'S TAKE:
"We are really excited about Elissa. First of all, her size and athleticism are things that we really need. She plays harder than any 6-5 kid I have ever seen. That is exciting. She is going to set a tone and lead with her effort. With the loss of Chelsea (Nelson) and Akela (Maize) to graduation (at the end of the 2017-18 season), she is someone who can help us on the block and give us presence inside, but she has also worked very hard on expanding her game. I trust her in the trail up spot to knock down the three and be able to attack off the bounce. She is an all-around great player and great person, and we are excited to have her join the Wolfpack."

NEWS:
Associated Press: Cunane powers No. 4 Wolfpack's push to do 'special things'
ESPN.com: NC State women's basketball star inspired by dad's zest for life
NC State Technician: Cunane ready to embrace new role as one of ACC's finest
Greensboro News & Record: Elissa Cunane isn't playing like a freshman for NC State
Greensboro News & Record: Elissa Cunane, a freshman from Summerfield, leads NC State into ACC Women's Tournament
Raleigh News & Observer: NC State's star freshman already has sophomore status in the eyes of her coach