NC State women advance in NCAA tournament with 62-35 win over Elon

NC State did not play well for the majority of the first half, but the Wolfpack got the offense going a bit over the final 20 minutes and buried cold-shooting Elon, 62-35. Kiara Leslie led the Pack with 13 points on 5-8 shooting, and Ace Konig added 12.

Wolfpack leading scorer Chelsea Nelson scored only one point in the first half but scored eight in the second half, including a rare three-pointer. And, as usual, Nelson was a menace on the boards, finishing with 12. She averages nearly 10 rebounds per game.

Elon simply never found its footing in this one—the Phoenix were limited to single digits in three of four quarters, and scored only five points over the final 10 minutes. They made only 12 shots all afternoon and turned the ball over 17 times.

So it wasn’t much of a challenge for State to keep Elon in the rearview, even as State struggled early on to string together good offensive possessions. Once that changed, the pretense of Elon’s contention in the game ended.

State hosts Maryland on Sunday with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16.