Leslie, Cunane Earn All-ACC Honors

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Graduate student Kiara Leslie and freshman Elissa Cunane of the No. 9/11 NC State women’s basketball team (25-4) earned high honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday afternoon. Leslie was named First Team All-ACC by both league voting bodies (head coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel) and Cunane was named to the All-Freshman Team by both voting bodies. Leslie also earned a place on the ACC’s All-Defensive Team, which is an award voted upon only by the league’s head coaches. 

Leslie is the fourth First Team All-ACC honoree for the Wolfpack in the last three seasons, as Miah Spencer and Dominique Wilson earned the honors in 2017 while Chelsea Nelson did so in 2018. Cunane is the first Wolfpack freshman to make the All-Freshman Team since Marissa Kastanek did so in 2010. 

Also named to the Wade Trophy Watch List for the best player in college basketball, Leslie ranks 11th in the ACC in scoring (15.8 points per game) and 12th in the ACC in rebounding (7.3 rebounds per game). She has scored 10+ points in a single game on 26 occasions, 20+ points in a single game on seven occasions, and 30+ points in a single game twice. She has led or tied for the team lead in scoring 12 times this season and has notched eight double-doubles. 

Cunane recently picked up her fourth ACC Rookie of the Week award on March 4 and is in the midst of a fantastic freshman season. For the season, Cunane is averaging 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 129-of-228 (.566) from the field. Among active players on the roster, she is the most accurate free-throw shooter at a success rate of 118-of-157 (.752). With 379 points so far this season, her scoring total currently ranks seventh among all freshmen in program history. Her shooting percentage so far ranks as the third-best mark among all freshmen in program history. 

NC State earned the No. 3 seed at the upcoming ACC Tournament and opens postseason play in Greensboro on Friday, March 8 at 8 pm. The Wolfpack will play either 14th-seeded Pittsburgh, 11th-seeded Duke, or sixth-seeded Florida State. Friday’s game will be broadcast live on Raycom.