NC State women’s hoops bounces back with 90-56 blowout of Notre Dame

Usually you can count on Notre Dame to be one of the best teams in the country, but uh, this is not one of those times. NC State took out some frustration on the under-talented Fighting Irish and blew them out on the way to the program’s first win in South Bend.

After struggling so badly in the second half against UNC, NC State found offense easily against Notre Dame throughout the game, and took advantage of the Irish’s weakness on the defensive boards. Elissa Cunane wasn’t matched up with anyone who could defend her and she started 8-8 from the field, including 2-2 from three.

The Wolfpack took a 14-point lead into the half, and I had the sense watching the game that if the team could cut out some of the careless turnovers, that margin was likely to grow. The Pack turned it over 13 times in the first half, but gave it away only twice during its 30-point third quarter.

State shot 5-7 inside the arc and 5-9 beyond it during that third quarter, beginning the half on a 16-1 run to bury the Irish. The Wolfpack turned it over just six times in the second half and scored 51 points. The entire fourth quarter was garbage time, and Cunane sat out the entire period.

The Wolfpack finished with four scorers in double figures: Cunane (22), Jada Boyd (16), Kayla Jones (15), and Kai Crutchfield (13).

NC State improved to 4-1 in the ACC with this win and will be back at it in Raleigh on Thursday against No. 11 Florida State. That’s a big one.