N.C. State Women top #1 Louisville, 74-60:Elissa Cunane(Northern Guilford HS) with 16 points for the Pack/”The Big Smile”, goes the Extra Mile!!!

CLICK HERE for the “The Big Smile” of Elissa Cunane and for tons of Cunane video….

The Wolfpacker
@TheWolfpacker

Final in Louisville: No. 4 NC State 74, No. 1 Louisville 60.

**********Elissa Cunane(Northern Guilford HS) with 16 points in her first game back for the Pack…..**********

Elissa Cunane Named to Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 List
Junior center featured on the late season list for second season in a row

LOS ANGELES – NC State women’s basketball junior Elissa Cunane has been featured on the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the second season in a row, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Monday afternoon.

Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2020-21 season, the list is made up of student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor that recognizes the Player of the Year.

Last year, the Wolfpack center was one of the 15 players selected for the Wooden Award National Ballot at the conclusion of the season. She and Dana Evans (Louisville) are the two ACC players included in this year’s Late Season Top 20.

Cunane averages a team-leading 16.2 points, 58.2 percent (57-of-98) from the floor, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. She plays a vital role as the center of the Pack’s four-out, one-in system and has helped lead NC State to an 11-1 record in the midst of the 2020-21 campaign. Her efficiency has ramped up in conference play where she averages 18.6 points, 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the field and 8.8 rebounds in the Pack’s 6-1 start to league action.

The Summerfield, N.C., native ranks in the top five in the conference in scoring and field-goal percentage and top 10 in the league in rebounding and blocked shots. Her 58.2 percent clip from the floor is also 15th nationally.

Cunane put together a streak of three-straight double-double performances from Dec. 9 (Elon) to Dec. 17 (Wake Forest), and she has scored 20+ points in three outings and double figures in all but one game. In her most recent outing, she posted a season-high 24 points against Boston College on Jan. 3, with her 9-of-9 mark from the field ranking as the best single-game shooting performance by a Wolfpack player in Reynolds Coliseum.

Cunane was a Third Team All-American in 2019-20, as named by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. She is also currently on watch lists for the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, the 2021 Wade Trophy and the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award that honors the best center in college women’s basketball.

A final National Ballot of 15 players will be released to nearly 1,000 voters prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, and the Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the Elite Eight. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.

from GoPack.com and from Monday night’s win by the Pack over Louisville…
#4 Pack Upends #1 Louisville for Second Top-Ranked Victory of Season
NC State first team in last 20 years to beat AP No. 1 twice in one regular season
(South Carolina and Louiville)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Wolfpack knocked off the nation’s top-ranked team for the second time this season as the No. 4 NC State squad took down No. 1 Louisville, 74-60, Monday night inside the KFC Yum! Center.

With the win, NC State (12-1, 7-1 ACC) became just the third NCAA Division I women’s basketball team in 119 tries in the last 20 seasons to play the AP No. 1 team twice and come away with two wins (information courtesy ESPN Stats & Info). The Wolfpack is the only team out of those three to earn those top-ranked wins both during the regular season and both on the road.

The Pack snapped its six-game losing streak to the Cardinals, picking up its first victory over Louisville since Feb. 2, 2017. It also ended Louisville’s (16-1, 9-1 ACC) 14-game home winning streak and its unbeaten record on the season.

Four members of the Pack scored in double figures in what was another well-balanced attack for the team. Jakia Brown-Turner, Jada Boyd and Elissa Cunane tallied 16 apiece, and Raina Perez added 15, eight of which she scored to lead NC State in the first quarter.

NC State dominated the boards, out-rebounding Louisville 44-29 and limiting the Cardinals to just six offensive rebounds. Kayla Jones led that effort and led all players on the floor with 13 rebounds. The Pack also managed to stifle Louisville’s transition offense, giving up just seven fast break points on the night.

After ending the first period knotted at 18, both teams fell into a bit of a shooting lull in the second quarter, but the Wolfpack made the most of its opportunities to take a 29-25 lead into the break. The squad outscored Louisville 11-7 in the frame, marking the fewest points for the Cardinals in a single quarter this season and their first time trailing at the half in 2020-21.

Louisville scored the first bucket of the second half, but NC State put up 12 of the next 16 points to take the 10-point lead (41-31, 5:20). It marked the first time that the Cardinals had trailed by double digits all season. The Cardinals drew within three (47-44, :50) late in the third quarter and entered the final period down just five points.

NC State took over at the start of the fourth quarter, 16 of the first 19 points of the period and giving up just one Louisville make from the floor until the 3:53 mark. The dominant start to the fourth quarter and a 8-of-13 (.615) shooting mark in the period propelled the Pack to the double-digit win. The 14-point margin was the biggest margin of defeat for Louisville since it lost by 20 points to top-ranked Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament final in 2019.

The Wolfpack returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 7 as it wraps up its three-game road stint with the short trip to take on rival North Carolina. Tip-off if scheduled for 2 p.m. from Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, and the game will be televised nationally on the ACC Network.