RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Khamil Pierre scored six of her 18 points in a two-minute span late in the game and No. 10 N.C. State overcame some serious early shooting woes to beat Maine 66-47 on Tuesday night.
Zoe Brooks had 14 points and Zamareya Jones added 10 points for the Wolfpack (2-1), who were playing their home opener after a pair of neutral-court, in-state matchups against nationally ranked teams. Pierre pulled in 10 rebounds.
N.C. State shot 40.3% from the field, a decent conclusion considering the opening stretch.
Asta Blauenfeldt had 16 points and Adrianna Smith posted 11 points and 10 rebounds for Maine (0-2), which shot 29% from the floor.
N.C. State’s misfirings included 3-for-20 on 3-pointers, many of them open looks with coach Wes Moore shaking his head from in front of the bench.
The Wolfpack went scoreless for the final four minutes in a 69-68 loss to Southern Cal on Sunday in Charlotte, and the team’s offensive woes extended into the first half Tuesday. N.C. State shot 3-for-18 in the first quarter.
Maine had similar snags, needing more than four minutes before producing its first points on Smith’s 3-pointer.
The Black Bears went 5-for-33 until making the last shot of the first half. The Wolfpack led 28-14 at halftime.
The Black Bears, who’ve never defeated N.C. State in seven all-time meetings, took good care of the ball with only eight turnovers. They were 1-for-3 on free throws.
Maine marked the only unranked opponent among the Wolfpack’s first four foes, so it might have been considered a chance to iron out some issues after high-profile encounters with Tennessee and Southern Cal.
Up Next
Maine: Friday at Virginia Commonwealth.
N.C. State: Sunday at home vs. No. 17 TCU.
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