:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70469290/1237883064.0.jpg)
For what was a comfortable victory for NC State, it was a strange game. Or the first half was strange, anyway.
NC State gave up the first five points of the night, then blew past the Seminoles with a barrage of threes to take a 15-point lead, then went scoreless for like six minutes as FSU closed the gap to five late in the second quarter.
Four Factors
| ... | NC State | FSU |
|---|---|---|
| ... | NC State | FSU |
| eFG% | 56.1 | 37.0 |
| TO% | 17.4 | 22.2 |
| OR% | 24.1 | 21.1 |
| FTR | 34.7 | 20.4 |
Pace and Efficiency
| Team | Pts | Poss | OFF_EFF | DEF_EFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Pts | Poss | OFF_EFF | DEF_EFF |
| NC State | 68 | 63 | 107.9 | 76.2 |
| FSU | 48 | 63 | 76.2 | 107.9 |
The Wolfpack recovered at the end of the second quarter to take an eight-point lead into the break. During the first half, NC State was 7-11 from three and 3-12 from two. Hey, I mean, if it’s gotta be one way or the other, you definitely want it that way.
The second half was a more typical affair, with the Pack coming out strong in the third quarter, probably after a few choice words from Wes Moore in the locker room. NC State pushed its advantage from eight to eighteen over the span of three minutes in the latter half of the third, giving the Pack plenty of cushion for the final 10 minutes.
Jakia Brown-Turner led NC State with 13 points; Raina Perez scored 11 and dished out eight assists; Elissa Cunane had 11 points and five boards; Kai Crutchfield added 10 points. Diamond Johnson’s struggles continued tonight—she didn’t play much, and went scoreless for the first time this season. I don’t know that we should be worried about her—I’m guessing not—but it’s been a rough week.
The victory is NC State’s 20th of the season, and its 11th in league play. It’s also Wes Moore’s 100th-career ACC victory. The Wolfpack has another big one coming up on Monday against Georgia Tech.