NC State women’s basketball tops Syracuse, 69-60, clinches No. 2 seed in ACC tournament

NC State snapped a very confusing three-game home losing streak by beating Syracuse on senior night. State controlled the majority of the game with its balanced attack and led the Orange pretty much wire to wire. The victory locks up second place in the ACC.

State did more of what’s gotten it into trouble lately—the Wolfpack again struggled to take of the ball and finished -10 in turnover margin. But that wasn’t nearly enough to sink the Pack tonight because it shot the ball well and did an outstanding job on the defensive glass.

NC State was particularly good in the first and third quarters, and outscored the Orange by 15 points over those 20 minutes. In the Pack’s 25-point first quarter, it hit 8-15 from the field, including 3-8 from three, and made all six of its free throw attempts.

For the game, NC State made 51.5% of its twos and 34.8% of its threes, while Syracuse managed only 41.9% and 25%, respectively. It was an impressive performance by the offense considering that Elissa Cunane battled foul trouble throughout and played just 11 minutes.

Kayla Jones stepped up on the boards, hauling in 14 rebounds, and she scored 12 points as well. State had four players in double figures, led by Ace Konig’s 13. Cunane still managed to score eight points in her brief time on the floor.

NC State closes out the regular season at Virginia on Sunday. The Wolfpack beat the Cavs by 20 points in Raleigh back in early January.