STANFORD, Calif. – Chloe Clardy scored a career-high 17 points and Nunu Agara had her sixth double-double of the season, but No. 21 NC State used a blistering third quarter to beat Stanford on Sunday, 81-67.
The Cardinal (9-7, 1-4) cut a 27-point, fourth-quarter deficit to 14, but it wasn’t enough to overcome NC State’s third. Stanford led by as many as six early on and had its last edge midway through the second, 26-25, before the Wolfpack (12-4, 4-1) went on a 9-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Laci Steele.
NC State extended their advantage coming out of halftime, outscoring Stanford 34-15 in a blistering third quarter. The Wolfpack shot 65.0 percent in the frame (13-of-20), including 4-of-8 from deep, and didn’t turn the ball over once. NC State’s guard tandem of Zoe Brooks (12) and Aziaha James (10) combined for 22 points in the period and their team led 68-43 heading into the fourth.
Clardy scored eight of her 17 in the fourth, as Stanford chipped into NC State’s lead. The sophomore, who made her third consecutive start, was 7-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-5 behind the arc, and added five rebounds. Agara had 14 points and 10 boards for her fifth double-double in the past six games.
Elena Bosgana had 14 points and six boards for the Cardinal, which shot 41.5 percent on the day (27-of-65). NC State turned Stanford over 18 times and outscored the Cardinal 23-6 in points off turnovers.
Also making her third consecutive start, freshman Shay Ijiwoye had a career-high eight points in 33 minutes.
The loss was Stanford’s first at home this season and snapped the Cardinal’s 12-game winning streak in Maples Pavilion.
Stanford is on the road next weekend beginning with a game at Wake Forest on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.