No. 8 N.C. State avenges only loss, stay unbeaten at home

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Elissa Cunane had 22 points and 17 rebounds to help No. 8 North Carolina State beat North Carolina 76-68 on Sunday night.

Aislinn Konig added 16 points and Kai Crutchfield had 13 for the Wolfpack (19-1, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who improved to 12-0 at home.

N.C. State avenged its only defeat of the season, a 66-60 loss at North Carolina on Jan. 9.

The Wolfpack squandered a 14-point lead in that matchup, but they held on in this one after opening the game with a 13-2 run.

North Carolina cut N.C. State’s lead to 45-43 midway through the third quarter, but the Wolfpack answered with another 13-2 spurt to regain control.

Kayla Jones had 10 points, all in the first half for N.C. State. The Wolfpack made 10 of 21 3-point attempts.

Shayla Bennett scored 19 of her 24 points in the second half to lead North Carolina (14-6, 5-4). Taylor Koenen added 21 points for the Tar Heels, who trailed 37-30 at halftime.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina: The Tar Heels have alternated wins and losses in their last eight games, but four of those matchups came against teams ranked in the nation’s Top 15. North Carolina’s final nine games are against unranked opponents, and the team will need to post a strong record down the stretch in pursuit of a second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack won their fifth game in a row, giving them a two-game lead on No. 14 Florida State for second place in the ACC. N.C. State has been dominant since its lone loss, winning by an average margin of 23.4 points per game. A showdown with No. 5 Louisville (20-1, 9-0) looms on Feb. 13.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: The Tar Heels host Virginia on Thursday night, tipping off a stretch in which they play four of their next five games at home.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack play at Clemson, whom they have beaten 10 consecutive times, on Thursday night.