No. 12 Canes Top NC State, 78-68

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Riquna Williams scored 22 points to lead No. 12 Miami to a 78-68 victory over North Carolina State on Thursday night.

Williams hit consecutive 3-pointers late in the second half as the Hurricanes (12-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) withstood a rally by the Wolfpack and expanded a 66-61 lead with a 12-0 run. Maria Brown’s layup with 1:45 remaining ended the surge and gave Miami a 78-61 lead.

The Wolfpack (10-5, 0-2) rallied from a 49-29 deficit early in the second half with 13 straight points. Krystal Barrett scored 10 points during the run and her two free throws with 13:27 remaining cut Miami’s lead to 49-42.

Williams’ putback with 10:01 left increased Miami’s lead to 55-46. North Carolina State got within 55-52 with 8:16 left.

Barrett scored 14 points to lead the Wolfpack.

POST-GAME NOTES

Fab Five
Head Coach Katie Meier has now started Riquna Williams, Stefanie Yderstrom, Morgan Stroman, Sylvia Bullock and Shenise Johnson for 48 consecutive games.

Three’s a Crowd
The Hurricanes have now hit a three-point basket in 340 consecutive games dating back to the 2000-01 season.

High Mileage
Morgan Stroman scored her 900th career point for the Canes. She ended the game with 12 points.

The Nation’s Best
With 12 points tonight, Shenise Johnson has now scored in double-figures in 86-straight games, which stands as the longest active double-digit scoring streak in the country.

Impenetrable Fortress
With tonight’s 78-68 victory over NC State, Miami has extended their winning streak inside the BankUnited Center to 33 games.

Twice As Nice
Shawnice “Pepper” Wilson tied her season-high rebound mark (11) and recorded a career-high in blocked shots with three.