NC State’s women’s basketball team did not have an elite performance on Thursday. But by finding a way to overcome a bad shot night to upset the country’s top-ranked team, Wolfpack number 8 took another step towards joining the country’s elite.
The defending champion of the ACC tournament obtained 16 points and 12 rebounds from senior striker Kayla Jones and kept South Carolina’s No. 1 with just 27% of throws from the ground for a bold 54-46 turn to Gamecocks at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.
It was the state’s first victory against a top ranking team since the ACC tournament semifinal victory against Duke in 2007.
“I think it’s a big win,” said Jones, adding that it proves that his team “can compete with the best of the best.
“We just beat team # 1. We are number 8, so I feel it’s huge. I feel like we can compete with anyone. “
As bad as the Gamecocks shot in the game, the state was not much better. With central star Elissa Cunane making just 3 of 13 and goalkeeper Kai Crutchfield missing six of his seven field goal attempts, Wolfpack (3-0) was limited to just 29% of shots.
But Jones, who went from being a small striker to a striker in the absence of the injured Jada Boyd, came to the rescue with a strong performance at both ends of the court.
His two biggest moves came in the final minute, hitting a 3-point basket from the top of the circle at the end of the kick timer to extend State’s lead to 51-46 with 27 seconds to go before South Carolina’s LeLe Grissett attack .
Cunane and Jones then sealed the victory by hitting three of the four free throws to complete a 16-4 run to end the Gamecocks’ 29-game winning streak. South Carolina (3-1) made just one of their last 11 field goal attempts during the final stretch.
“I couldn’t be more proud of a team, a group of girls,” said coach Wes Moore later, still drenched in a swim after the game. “We don’t kick very well, which we normally do. We really fight. You have to give South Carolina a lot of credit for this and for your defense. I am so proud of the way we fight. … It is a good victory for our program, obviously. “
Cunane hit 8 of 8 on the free-throw line to finish with 14 points. Second-year student Jakia Brown-Turner had 11 points and 12 rebounds, while guard Raina Perez, a graduate transfer from Cal State-Fullerton – where she was the West Coast Conference’s best player of the year last season – was a big highlight in his first Wolfpack with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and no turn.
Zia Cooke and Laeticia Amihere led South Carolina with 11 points each. Amihere also had 15 rebounds, but Gamecocks All-American center-back Aliyah Boston managed just nine points out of 4 out of 14 shots.
There were 13 leadership changes in the second half, the final coming when Perez hit a 3-point basket to put Wolfpack ahead 46-44 with just over five minutes remaining.