from www.gopack.com:
#3 N.C. State Wolfpack Advances to Fourth-Straight ACC Tournament Semifinal with 68-55 Victory Over Hokies
**********Wolfpack center Elissa Cunane(Northern Guilford High School) led all players on the floor with her season-high 27 points, scoring 18 of her 27 in the second half. The performance was her fourth 20+ point game of the season and just one point short of her career high. She shot 10-of-15 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and also tacked on nine rebounds.***********
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The third-ranked NC State women’s basketball team (18-2) earned a spot in the ACC Tournament semifinal for the fourth season in a row as it beat Virginia Tech (14-9) by a 68-55 score in the quarterfinals on Friday night.
The Wolfpack will move on to take on either third-seeded Georgia Tech or 11th-seeded Clemson in the semifinal round. That game is set for a 2:30 p.m. start on Saturday inside the Greensboro Coliseum and will be broadcast nationally on the ACC Network.
Wolfpack center Elissa Cunane led all players on the floor with her season-high 27 points, scoring 18 of her 27 in the second half. The performance was her fourth 20+ point game of the season and just one point short of her career high. She shot 10-of-15 from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and also tacked on nine rebounds.
Jada Boyd notched a double-double for the second game in a row with 13 points and 10 rebounds as the Pack’s only other double-figure scorer. Raina Perez (8), Kai Crutchfield (7) and Kayla Jones (7) also added to the Pack’s attack with 7+ points apiece.
NC State shut down Virginia Tech in the second quarter to take a 10-point lead (33-23) into the break. The Pack held the Hokies without a make from the floor for the final 5:45 of the period and limited them to 1-of-15 (.067) shooting in total during the second quarter. Boyd scored eight of her points in the second quarter alone to help the Pack build up its lead.
Virginia Tech drew within four (43-39, 2:31) late in the third quarter, but the Pack scored the final two buckets of the period to take a 47-39 lead into the final 10 minutes. NC State then put together its best quarter shooting percentage in the fourth, an 8-of-15 (.533) clip, to close out the 68-55 win.
++++++++++In a game that featured two of the nation’s best post players, NC State dominated the paint, outscoring Virginia Tech 42-16 in that category. Hokie sophomore Elizabeth Kitle(Northwest Guilford High School) put up 20 points of her own, but NC State held Aisha Sheppard to just six points and 0-of-6 shooting from three-point range.++++++++++
In total, the Pack limited a team that entered the contest averaging 10 three pointers per game to just five. That mark tied as a season low for the Hokies.
NC State will make the quick turnaround as it prepares for its 2:30 p.m. Saturday semifinal game.