No. 1 seed NC State sends Kansas State women's basketball home with 89-57 NCAA Tournament loss

It was nice while it lasted.

After winning their NCAA Tournament opener two days earlier, the ninth-seeded Kansas State women were simply overmatched by No. 1 seed North Carolina State on Monday as they dropped their second-round game, 89-57, to the Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina.

NC State, which advances to the Sweet 16 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at 31-3, took command with a big run early in the second quarter and blew it open in the third. K-State saw its season end at 20-13, still an 11-win improvement over a year ago.

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The Wildcats trailed 43-27 at halftime and never got within single digits the rest of the way as All-America center Ayoka Lee spent much of the game in foul trouble. Freshman point guard Serena Sundell led K-State with 17 points and three assists, while Lee finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Kayla Jones led all scorers with 18 points for NC State, with Raina Perez and Diamond Johnson adding 15 each.

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North Carolina pulled away with a 12-0 run early in the second quarter to lead 31-15 on a Perez free-throw line jumper with 5:30 left in the half and stretched it to 20 points before a mini-rally by K-State cur it to 43-27 at intermission.

The Wolfpack outscored K-State, 23-12, in the third quarter to put it out of reach.

NC State shot 54.7% for the game and outrebounded K-State, 38-25. The Wildcats shot 38.8% and were just 7-for-25 from 3-point range.

K-State led 9-3 early after NC State center Elissa Cunane picked up a pair of quick fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes, but it was short lived. The Wolfpack answered with a seven-point run to take their first lead and were up 17-13 after one quarter.

Lee picked up two fouls in the last 1:12 of the first quarter for K-State and NC State took advantage with the big run to start the second period. She then was whistled for her third foul less than a minute into the second half and her fourth at the 1:40 mark of the third quarter.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State women's basketball falls in NCAA Tournament second round