March Madness 2022: No. 1 North Carolina State runs past Longwood

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Raina Perez scored 16 points to lead five North Carolina State players in double digits as the No. 1 Wolfpack pulled away from No. 16 Longwood for a 96-68 victory Saturday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Perez made seven of her eight shots for N.C. State, which won a program-record 30th game this season. Jakia Brown-Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Elissa Cunane tallied 13 points and seven boards. Diamond Johnson and Jada Boyd added 12 points apiece.

Looming for N.C. State on Monday is a rematch with No. 9 Kansas State, a team the Wolfpack beat in non-conference play back in November. It will pit two AP All-America post players against each other, with Cunane matching up with 6-foot-6 Ayoka Lee.

"We’ve had all week, so we’ve prepared for all of the teams, pretty much," Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said. "It’s a tough match-up down there on the block. You know, (Lee) scored 61 against Oklahoma. That’s scary."

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North Carolina State's Raina Perez, right, drives past Longwood's Kennedy Calhoun (4) during the second half of a college basketball game in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

Longwood (22-12) got a career-high 25 points from Tra’dayja Smith and 19 from Kyla McMakin.

The Lancers kept things close with the Wolfpack early on, trailing by just four points with 4:57 to play in the second quarter. Then, following a timeout, N.C. State flipped the switch and broke off a 19-2 run to end the half. Perez had seven points, an assist and a steal during that span, and she didn’t miss a shot until the