North Carolina’s Elissa Cunane and Kai Crutchfield together scored 35 points, helping NC state sign, seal, and deliver another loss in this young 2021-22 season.
The Gators (1-2) fell 85-52 against the No. 5 Wolfpack (2-1) in Raleigh, North Carolina, only to drop to 0-2 in the preseason WNIT Classic.
Florida opened the game head-to-toe with their leaderboard competition, leading 12-10 with just over four minutes to go in the first quarter. That was until NC State busted and held the Gators down to just 3 points against 19 of their own for the remainder of the first quarter.
The Gators stopped some of the bleeding in the second quarter after quickly removing five points from PhD student Kiara Smith, cutting the lead down to 13 signs of a Gators comeback. NC State entered halftime at 21 with the largest lead in the game to date.
In the third quarter, an impressive eight points from Junior Nina Rickards underscored the Gators’ score. Florida held NC State at 10 points in third, but the deficit persisted when Florida trailed 58-41.
In the final quarter, the Wolfpack left Florida in the rearview mirror and distanced themselves by up to 33. NC State beat Florida with 27:11 for the final frame and finished the game with a total of 18 assists to Florida’s eight.
Smith and Rickards were the only bright spots for the Gators on Sunday. They were the only Gators to finish in double digits as Smith fell back by 16 and led the team, and Rickards followed closely at 12.
The Gators have one last chance to return home with a Raleigh win as they face Wofford College on Monday.
Wofford struggled in the WNIT preseason classic and suffered a 90-57 loss to NC State on November 12 to open his tournament game. Before taking on the Gators, Wofford fought Towson on Sunday and suffered his second loss in North Carolina, 64-48.
Wofford College and Florida will provide tips on Monday at 4:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on YouTube.
Contact Brenda Bogle at bbogle@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @bogle_brenda.
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