RALEIGH, N.C. – Caroline Waite scored a game-high 23 points, but No.5 NC State's size and athleticism proved to be too much for Illinois State women's basketball, who saw its five-game winning streak snapped Sunday 79-61 at Reynolds Coliseum.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Waite tied her career-high with six threes and finished with a game-high 23 points on the night, one shy of her career-high. She hit three threes to open the game in the first quarter, keeping Illinois State within striking distance of the Wolfpack.
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Maya Wong and Daijah Smith both added 8 points for the Redbirds. Wong led Illinois State with 5 assists on the day.
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Waite and the Redbirds started hot from deep and trailed by just six after one quarter. All 15 of Illinois State's points in the opening frame came from deep as the Redbirds went 5-for-9. Waite scored Illinois State's first nine points before Wong and Abbie Aalsma added threes of their own. NC State took a 21-15 lead into the second quarter.
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NC State opened on a 12-2 run to stretch their lead to 33-17 in the second. The Redbirds trimmed it back down to 12 off a hook-shot from Savannah McGowan and Waite's old-fashioned three-point play with 3:03 to go in the first half. The Wolfpack headed into the locker room with a 39-25 lead.
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The Wolfpack lead swelled to 20 for the first time in the third as NC State continued to pull away. Waite scored nine more points in the third quarter going 3-for-4 from deep. Her three at the 3:54 cut the NC State lead back under 20, but the Wolfpack responded to go back up 64-43 after three quarters.
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The run continued into the fourth as NC State mounted a game-high 24-point lead before closing it out.
GAME NOTES
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It was Waite's sixth game this year with three-plus threes. She has hit four-plus threes in four of Illinois State's last six games. She was within reach of the program single game record for threes in a game (8), set by Taylor Stewart at Missouri State in 2017.
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Illinois State hit 10-plus threes for the third time this season, joining the season opener at Omaha (10) and Nov. 19 vs Saint Francis (12). The Redbirds tied their season high with 25 attempts.
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Illinois State's five-game winning streak was snapped with the loss. The Redbirds have won five-straight non-conference games for the second time in as many seasons.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds take on another unbeaten ranked foe as Illinois State welcomes No.23 Marquette to CEFCU Arena for a 2 p.m. "Whiteout" game. Fans are encouraged to wear white as Illinois State looks to topple the Golden Eagles.
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