Cunane, Hunter lead No. 7 NC State women past Duke

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Elissa Cunane scored 22 of her 27 points in the second half and No. 7 North Carolina State rallied past Duke 63-60 on Sunday for its seventh straight win.

Jakia Brown-Turner added 12 points for the Wolfpack (21-1, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who tied the second-best start to a season in program history.

Grace Hunter made three 3-pointers in the final four minutes, the second of which gave N.C. State the lead for good at 55-54 with 2:14 to play. Her final 3-pointer increased the lead to 59-54 with 32.6 seconds remaining.

N.C. State rallied from a 40-30 deficit midway through the third quarter to win for only the second time in its last 16 games at Duke.

Cunane and Brown-Turner combined to score the Wolfpack’s first 26 points of the second half, helping them erase the deficit.

Haley Gorecki scored 21 points to lead Duke (11-10, 5-5), which lost its 12th consecutive game against ranked opponents. Leaonna Odom and Kyra Lambert added 13 points apiece for the Blue Devils.

Duke led 45-43 entering the fourth quarter but made just 5 of 19 shots in the period.

BIG PICTURE

N.C. State: The Wolfpack solidified their place just behind No. 5 Louisville (21-1, 10-0) at the top of the ACC. The teams meet at N.C. State on Feb. 13. The Wolfpack showed poise in adjusting to Duke’s pressure defense after committing 15 turnovers in the first half.

Duke: The Blue Devils had won four of their last five games and needed a victory in this one to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume. They have played one of the nation’s most difficult schedules, but they haven’t been able to convert any of those opportunities against big-time competition into victories.

UP NEXT

N.C. State: The Wolfpack play at Virginia Tech on Thursday night. N.C. State rallied from a 14-point deficit to win the teams’ first meeting 76-69 on Jan. 2.

Duke: The Blue Devils conclude their three-game homestand with a visit from North Carolina on Thursday night.