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Thomas carries Terps women to 4th win in row, No. 3 seed in ACC

Alyssa Thomas scored 22 of her 24 points in the second half and added a career-high 17 rebounds, and No. 6 Maryland beat host North Carolina State, 65-50, on Sunday in their final game before the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Thomas finished two points shy of her scoring high and added a career-high four blocks to help the Terps (25-4, 12-4ACC) win their fourth straight game and seventh out of eight.

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The Terps clinched the No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament, which begins Thursday in Greensboro, N.C., at 8p.m. On Friday, They will play the winner of Thursday's game between No. 6 seed Virginia and No. 11 seed Boston College.

Laurin Mincy added 12 points for Maryland. The Terps never trailed and used a late 17-5 run to pull away and claim their seventh win in eight tries against the Wolfpack (16-14, 5-11).

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The Terps, the league's best rebounding team, built a 55-36 advantage on the boards.

Thomas — who averages 16.7 points — was the only Maryland player to score during a 101/2-minute stretch of the second half, recording 16 consecutive points for her team.

N.C. State made it a three-point game three times in the second half, the last when Marissa Kastanek's drive across the lane pulled the Wolfpack within 46-43 with just under 10 minutes left.

But while N.C. State managed just two field goals the rest of the way, Thomas carried the Terps.

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She knocked down a jumper through contact from Lakeesa Daniel with 8:57 left to spark a run of eight straight points during the decisive spurt. Kim Rodgers' 3 from the corner with 71/2 minutes to play stretched it back out to double figures at 54-43, and Mincy's free throw with 3:15 left made it 63-48.

No N.C. State player reached double figures, with leading scorer Kastanek — who averages 13 points — finishing with nine on 4-for-14 shooting from the field. Senior Bonae Holston, who averages 12.4 points, had six on 3-for-14 shooting in her final game at Reynolds Coliseum.

The Terps raced out to a 15-1 lead against a senior-day starting lineup that included three Wolfpack players who don't usually start.

Once most of the regulars checked in, N.C. State tightened things back up with a 17-3 run capped by Kastanek's 3-pointer that pulled the Wolfpack within 21-20 with 6:50 before the break.

FGFTReb
MarylandM-AM-AO-TPts
Mincy4-113-41-412
Barrett2-102-20-27
DeVaughn2-30-01-34
Hawkins2-42-23-86
Thomas8-188-107-1724
Moseley0-50-01-20
Kizer1-64-42-86
Rodgers1-31-21-34
Bays1-10-00-32
Totals21-6120-2419-5565

Percentages: FG .344, FT .833. 3-point goals: 3-13, .231 (Barrett 1-3, Rodgers 1-3, Mincy 1-5, Moseley 0-2). Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 10 (Thomas 4, Barrett 2, Bays 2, Mincy, Hawkins). Turnovers: 18 (Mincy 4, Hawkins 4, Thomas 2, DeVaughn 2, Kizer 2, Moseley, Rodgers, Barrett, Bays). Steals: 10 (Thomas 3, Moseley 2, Hawkins, Mincy, Kizer, Barrett, Bays). Technical fouls: None.

FGFTReb
N.C. StateM-AM-AO-TPts
Durham0-00-00-00
Bell0-30-10-10
Tasler1-60-00-03
Woodard0-00-00-00
Holston3-140-01-46
Goodwin-Coleman2-62-20-57
Barrett0-55-81-35
Donovan3-52-20-38
Kastanek4-140-03-49
Daniel0-00-00-20
Burke4-90-04-79
Evans1-21-20-03
Totals18-6410-1514-3650

Percentages: FG .281, FT .667. 3-point goals: 4-16, .250 (Goodwin-Coleman 1-3, Burke 1-3, Kastanek 1-4, Tasler 1-4, Donovan 0-2). Team rebounds: 7. Blocked shots: 5 (Holston 2, Burke, Daniel, Bell). Turnovers: 14 (Holston 3, Kastanek 2, Burke 2, Goodwin-Coleman 2, Barrett, Donovan, Durham, Tasler, Daniel). Steals: 10 (Tasler 3, Donovan 2, Goodwin-Coleman, Barrett, Holston, Bell, Kastanek). Technical fouls: None.

Maryland303565
N.C. State252550

A—2,457. Officials—Bonita Spence, Joanne Aldrich, Dan Outlaw.

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