NC State takes it to Elon, 89-55

NC State took care of business in its second tune-up of the early season, handing Elon a 34-point defeat. For the second straight game, all 11 Wolfpack players got into the scoring column.

Diamond Johnson bounced back from a poor-shooting effort in the opener to knock down 7-11 from the field against the Phoenix, and she scored 18 points in 17 minutes. Camille Hobby was outstanding from the field also, finishing with 16 points on 6-7 shooting.

The Pack’s defensive effort was a bit more uneven in this one—Elon didn’t have a bad shooting night—but it had more than enough offense to account for it. There are definitely going to be some sequences that Wes Moore will not be happy about, though.

And give the Phoenix credit for battling; they just got absolutely crushed on the boards, not to mention the turnovers. Those two things meant they could mount only so much resistance. They also don’t have quite this level of playmaking on hand:

Jada Boyd showing off the hands there. Her night at the offensive end was quiet overall, but she made a hell of a play there. And there’s tons of playmaking ability in this back court, as Jessica Timmons’ finish illustrates nicely.

Madison Hayes had another strong performance and scored 11, while Jakia Brown-Turner was the fourth State scorer in double figures with 10. JBT is a handful of points away from 1,000 for her career, though if you watched 30 seconds of the broadcast, you’re well aware of that.

State returns to action on Sunday against Mount St. Mary’s, but the schedule is going to turn serious in a hurry—UConn is just 10 days away.