RALEIGH, N.C. – Elon University women's basketball fell to second-ranked NC State on Sunday, Dec. 5, 46-78. The Wolfpack entered the contest ranked No. 2 in the nation by the Associated Press.  

"I'm very proud of our team," said head coach Charlotte Smith. "I feel like they went out and fought for 40 minutes. There's a lot we can take away from this game to improve. It's games like this that challenge us to get better. We're excited about the opportunity to go back to Elon and watch the film and be a better team from this."
 
THE RUNDOWN
-Following an 8-3 Wolfpack run at the start of the game, back-to-back three pointers from Ariana Nance and Kayla Liles put the Phoenix up by one (9-8). NC State responded with an 8-0 run to close the quarter with a seven-point advantage (16-9).
-NC State continued its run into the second quarter, outscoring the Phoenix 8-0 in the first two minutes to grow its lead to 15 (24-9). The teams traded points for the remainder of the half, resulting in 16-point Wolfpack lead heading into intermission (20-36).
-The Wolfpack held on to its momentum the rest of the contest, growing its lead to a game-high 32 points (78-46) on a three ball with 50 seconds left in the game for the final shot of the night.
 
NOTES
-Kayla Liles led the Elon offense, totaling 12 points on the day. Seven of her points came from behind the charity stripe for a new career high.
-Brie Perpignan and Nance combined for 16 points over the course of the game. The duo also led both teams in steals with three apiece.
-Peyton Carter matched her career high in points (8), with all of them coming in the fourth quarter. The guard also had eight points earlier this week in the maroon and gold's 73-51 victory over NC Central on Nov. 29.
-Today's game marked the second against a top five team for the Phoenix this season. Elon faced #1 South Carolina last month on Nov. 26.
-Elon now stands at 5-2 on the season, while NC State improves to 8-1 on the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Phoenix hosts Davidson on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m.