Last Updated 10:41 PM, February 01, 2021
Autumn Johnson

No. 4 NC State gives No. 1 Louisville their first loss of the season, 74-60.

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The 2021 NCAA women's basketball bracket, predicted just past the halfway mark of the season
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1:46 am, February 2, 2021

Final: No. 4 NC State beats No. 1 Louisville 64-60

No. 4 NC State gives No. 1 Louisville their first loss of the season, 74-60. This was the second time this season the Wolfpack knocked off the No. 1 team in the country — upsetting South Carolina earlier this season. 

60 points was a season-low for Louisville — who is a team that normally averages 82.5 points per game with four players scoring in double-digits. The story was different tonight against the Wolfpack's defense — who only allowed Dana Evans to score in double figures. Evans led the Cardinals with 17 points, shooting 10-for-22 from the floor and 5-for-8 from the three. 

NC State ran a consistent inside game against Louisville. The Wolfpack had 36 paint points compared to Louisville's 18. That's credit to Elissa Cunane's dominance in the paint — after sitting out nearly a month due to Covid-19 protocols. Cunane led NC State with 16 points, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor and grabbing six rebounds. 

Louisville's Kianna Smith knocked down a big three assisted by Mykasa Robinson with 1:20 seconds left cutting the lead to single digits, but Cunane responded with a strong three-point play from drawing contact in the paint to put the dagger in the ACC matchup. 

1:13 am, February 2, 2021

End of 3Q: No. 4 NC State is up on No. 1 Louisville 49-45

Louisville trails by five points to NC State heading into the last quarter of the game, 49-45. 

The Cardinals stepped on the gas by making four consecutive shots in an effort to chip away at the score, 47-41. The momentum started with Elizabeth Balogun getting a huge block against Kayla Jones. Balogun then found Olivia Cochran in transition for an easy two. 

Dana Evans knocked down a big three to keep Louisville alive, 47-44. So far, Evans leads with 17 points. 

1:02 am, February 2, 2021

No. 4 NC State gains their largest lead at the media timeout in third quarter

NC State goes on a 6-0 run to pull away from Louisville, 41-31.

Shots from Kai Crutchfield, Kayla Jones and Raina Perez forces the largest lead of the game. Perez leads the Wolfpack with 12 points. 

12:34 am, February 2, 2021

Halftime: No. 4 NC State leads No. 1 Louisville 29-25

NC State finished the first half with a four point lead over the No. 1 team in the country. This is the first time Louisville has trailed in the first half this season. However, the Wolfpack has had a tough time finding an offensive rhythm. 

The Wolfpack went on a 0-9 from the floor and didn't score for six minutes in the second quarter until Elissa Cunane - who is limited in minutes coming off of a COVID-19 pause - came off the bench to end the scoring drought. The paint has been the focal point for NC State with 16 of their points coming from inside. The Wolfpack has been struggling beyond the arch, shooting 23 percent. Raina Perez leads NC State with 10 points. 

NC State's Kai Crutchfield has been tasked with guarding All-American guard Dana Evans - who has been relentless on all areas of the court with 10 points. Evans is shooting 4-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-4 from the three. 

12:16 am, February 2, 2021

End of 1Q: No. 1 Louisville 18, No. 4 NC State 18

Both teams came into this matchup close in overall stats - and we've seen that translate into the first quarter, tying 18-18. 

NC State got it done in the paint with 12 of their 18 points coming from the paint. The Wolfpack struggled in the first quarter shooting 2-for-8 beyond the arch, but it was Raina Perez's big three for NC State to tie the game. Perez leads the Wolfpack with eight points, so far. 

 

12:11 am, February 2, 2021

No. 1 Louisville leads 11-9 at the first media time out

Louisville extends their lead with a 7-0 run against NC State going into the first media time out. 

All four of NC State's guards has had open looks beyond the arch - but the Wolfpack starts off cold at the three, shooting 1-for-5. 

11:19 pm, February 1, 2021

It's almost time for tipoff!

At 7 p.m. ET, No. 1 Louisville will take on No. 4 NC State in KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. 

16-0 Louisville is looking to solidify their No. 1 spot in the ACC, while NC State is looking to bounce back from the upset against Virginia Tech on Thursday. The Cardinals will have a tough task with NC State's lead scorer Elissa Cunane returning back to the floor - after sitting out due to COVID-19 protocols. 

3:31 pm, January 7, 2021

How to watch No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 NC State

Dana Evans

WHEN: You can watch No. 1 Louisville and Dana Evans (above) take on No. 4 NC State at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 1. 

HOW TO WATCH ON TV: The game will be televised on ESPN2.

LOCATION: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Click here to see Monday's full women's basketball schedule and scoreboard.

8:17 pm, January 7, 2021

Louisville vs. NC State previews from both schools

Here's a look at the host Cardinals, courtesy of gocards.com: 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville women's basketball plays the last of three straight games at the KFC Yum! Center when they host No. 2 North Carolina State (11-1, 6-1) on Monday night at 7 p.m. ET. 

Louisville is 16-0 to start the season, which marks the second best start in program history. The Cardinals started a program-record 20-0 in 2017-18. With NC State and UConn's losses on Thursday night, Louisville is the only undefeated team in the AP Top 25.

UofL is 9-0 to start ACC play and with a win on Monday night will tie their best ever start in ACC play. They started a program-best 10-0 in 2015-16 and 2019-20. In 2013-14, the Cardinals had their best ever start in conference play when they started 11-0 in their lone season in the American.

Eleven of 16 wins came in the month of January, which marks the most ever in the first month. The previous mark was nine in 2015-16 (9-0) and 2019-20 (9-0). UofL played 11 games in January, which is the most in head coach Jeff Walz's tenure in the first month of the year. UofL played a program-high 12 games in January in 1979-80 (5-7) and 1981-82 (7-5).

UofL led all 40 minutes in their last two wins, a 79-76 win over Miami and a 79-68 win over North Carolina. They also led wire-to-wire in wins over Eastern Kentucky and DePaul.

The Cardinals are 4-0 as the No. 1 team with a scoring margin of +7.3. In their first 12 games before reaching No. 1, their scoring margin was +26.6.

UofL leads the ACC and ranks 10th in the country with a 79.2 free throw shooting percentage. In ACC play, they are shooting an impressive 86.3 percent (88-102), which also leads the league. The top six leading scorers are all shooting above 76.5 percent from the stripe and combined they are shooting 83.8 percent (165-197).

NC State Elissa Cunane

Here's more on NC State, courtesy of gopack.com: 

RALEIGH — The second-ranked NC State women's basketball team (11-1, 6-1 ACC) is set for its second road matchup of the season with the nation's top-ranked team as it visits No. 1 Louisville (16-0, 9-0 ACC) on Monday evening. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and the Cardinals is set for 7 p.m. from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.

The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2, and radio broadcasters Patrick Kinas and Ashley Eli will be on the call on WKNC 88.1 FM in Raleigh.

A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD...

  • Be the 956th win in program history (955-472)
  • Be head coach Wes Moore's 738th career win (737-232)
  • Be Moore's 180th win at NC State (180-63)
  • Be Moore's 84th ACC win at NC State (83-38)
  • Be the Wolfpack's first victory over Louisville since Feb. 2, 2017
  • Be NC State's fourth time in program history defeating the No. 1 team in the nation (3-17)
  • Be the Pack's first time beating two top-ranked teams in one season

NOTING THE WOLFPACK (11-1, 6-1)

  • Ranked season-high and program best-tying No. 2 nationally in the Associated Press Top 25 for the second week in a row on Jan. 25
  • Ranked second in the league behind No. 1 Louisville
  • No. 2 nationally and first in the conference in defensive rebounds per game (32.7)
  • No. 7 nationally and first in the conference in field-goal percentage (.486)
  • Also paces the league in field-goal percentage defense (19th, .347)
  • No. 15 nationally in scoring margin (+18.7) and scoring offense (81.8)
  • Also top-25 nationally in three-point field-goal percentage (18th, .377), rebounds per game (20th, 44.3) and rebound margin (24th, +9.5)
  • Four members of the squad with scoring averages in double digits - Elissa Cunane (16.2), Jakia Brown-Turner (14.6), Kayla Jones (13.2) and Jada Boyd (10.8)
  • Cunane and Brown-Turner both rank in the top 15 in the ACC with their scoring numbers
  • Shot better than 50 percent as a team in a total of six games this year
  • Top six scorers all averaging at least 44 percent shooting
  • Cunane (3rd - .582) and Brown-Turner (9th - .464) both ranked in the top 10 in the league in field-goal percentage
  • Raina Perez (2.59) and Brown-Turner (2.31) own the ACC's top two assist-to-turnover ratios, with Perez also ranking third in assists per game (4.8)
  • Held five of its opponents to under 30 percent shooting and nine of 12 opponents to under 40 percent
  • Averaging 38.5 points in the paint and also a threat from distance with an average of 7.7 made three pointers per contest
  • Put together three-point shooting percentages of 40 percent or better in six outings
  • All-American center Cunane (the team's leading scorer, rebounder, shooter and shot blocker) has missed the last two games as she remained in COVID protocol/return to play protocol
5:59 pm, January 7, 2021

Louisville vs NC State: Stats breakdown , comparisons

Here's a look at how these teams compare:

Louisville stat NC State
16-0 (9-0 ACC)  Record (conference games) 11-1 (6-1 ACC)
No. 1 AP Rank No. 4
82.5 Points Per Game 81.8
.485 Field Goal % .486
.365 3-point % .377
.792 Free-throw % .713
40.9 Rebounds Per Game 44.3
16.4 Assists Per Game 16.4
12.4 Turnovers Per Game 13.9
7.8 Steals Per Game 7.3
5.3 Blocks 4.3