Dominant perimeter effort leads NC State women’s hoops to 83-53 win over Pitt

Can you have an elite offensive performance despite making barely a third of your two-point shots? You sure can, if you make 61% of your threes. It was a weird game in that respect, as NC State shot 12-35 inside the arc and 16-26 outside of it. The Wolfpack doesn’t often struggle like that in the paint, but tying a program record in made threes more than made up the difference.

NC State got off to a fast start by shooting 5-6 from three in the first quarter to build a 22-10 edge after one. The Wolfpack took a 15-point lead into the half and really blew the game open in the third quarter by outscoring the Panthers 30-8.

Pittsburgh took its turnover problems to the extreme, giving the ball away on more than a third of its possessions, and NC State finished with a +11 turnover margin. The Panthers didn’t give themselves any chance at a big upset thanks to the turnovers.

All five NC State starters were in double figures, and they combined to shoot 13-17 from beyond the arc. Raina Perez and Jakia Brown-Turner each scored 14, while Elissa Cunane scored 13, Kai Crutchfield scored 11, and Kayla Jones added 10. Jones also had six boards and seven assists.

The Wolfpack got 12 players onto the floor, and nine of them scored.

NC State will conclude its regular season at Syracuse on Sunday.