by PUERTO AVENTURAS, Mexico – North Carolina State opened the game on an 11-0 run and never looked back as the 25th-ranked Wolfpack defeated Southern Miss 110-56 in the Lady Eagles’ Cancun Challenge finale.
Khamil Pierre led both teams with 18 points and 16 rebounds as seven NC State (5-3) players ended their night in double-figures. Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) and Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) each held 12 points to pace Southern Miss with Ramiah “Moonie” Augurson (Monroe, La.) finishing with 10.
The Wolfpack opened the game with a 9-0 run, forcing Southern Miss (6-2) to use a timeout. Out of the break, NCSU Pierre found her first basket of the day to make it 11-0 less than four minutes into the game. Keats broke through for Southern Miss’ first points of the afternoon with three-pointer basket. The make snapped a streak of nine missed baskets by the Lady Eagles, but the Pack responded in kind with back-to-back buckets.
NC State held a 30-9 advantage at the first quarter break with 20 total rebounds as a team. Southern Miss finished 4-of-19 from the floor in the frame with just seven boards. NCSU pressed its advantage in the second quarter, holding the Lady Eagles scoreless from the floor for the first seven-and-a-half minutes.
Thames made a running layup to break the cold start and sparked a series of five consecutive Lady Eagle possessions with a made basket. Southern Miss scored 14 points in the final 2:30 of the half to trail 58-24 entering the locker room.
At the half, the Wolfpack were 22-of-40 (55.0 percent) from the floor and 5-of-10 from the arc. Southern Miss shot just 9-of-36 (25.0 percent) in the first 20 minutes and finished 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from three-point range. The Pack held 31 rebounds to Southern Miss’ 15 and had scored 30 of their 58 points in the paint.
Thames kept up her hot streak into the third quarter, hitting a three-pointer and field goal to give her 10 points in the game with 8:10 left in the quarter. A step back jumper gave her 12 and put Southern Miss over 30 points with six minutes left. North Carolina State, however, did not relent as the Wolfpack outscored Southern Miss 29-11 in the third quarter to lead by 52 heading into the fourth quarter.
Both teams were able to play their full available bench in the fourth, where Augurson got a hot hand on the floor. She finished the fourth quarter 4-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the free throw line to record her second double-figure game of the season. The Wolfpack continue to push their lead up to as many as 60 points with five minutes to play.
Southern Miss was able to string together some solid defensive streaks, but fell at the end of the night. Southern Miss was 23-of-73 from the floor (31.5 percent) and 7-of-28 (25.0 percent) from three. The Lady Eagles made three of their four free throws while NC State finished 15-of-20 (75.0 percent) at the line. The Wolfpack were 43-of-77 (55.8 percent) overall and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from the arc.
