NC State star Elissa Cunane waived by WNBA’s Seattle Storm
NC State’s Elissa Cunane (33) is fouled by Syracuse’s Alaysia Styles (4) during the second half of NC State’s 95-53 win over Syracuse at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina on Sunday February 20, 2022 .
Elissa Cunane and Raina Perez’s reunion didn’t make it past training camp, unfortunately.
The Seattle Storm announced Monday that both former NC State players have been waived.
Cunane, the 6-5 center for Summerfield, was the Storm’s second-round pick (17th overall) in last month’s draft. Perez, a 5-4 point guard, joined Cunane in camp as an undrafted free agent.
The Storm played two preseason games, with wins over Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Cunane played 14 minutes in the win over Los Angeles, finishing with three points. She had six points in 12 minutes against Phoenix.
Perez had nine points against the Sparks and four points against his hometown Mercury.
In four years in Raleigh, the 6-5 Cunane has left its mark on the program. Cunane ranks sixth in school history in career points (1,855), seventh in double-doubles (34) and fifth in rebounds (986).
Cunane is the school record holder for successful free throws (513). She played 125 games for the Wolfpack, starting 101. A consensus All-American by the Associated Press in 2021-22, Cunane leaves Raleigh with a career average of 14.8 points per game and 7.9 rebounds all while shooting 54% from the ground. Her senior season, she averaged 13.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, on 53.1 percent shooting (182 of 343). Cunane shot 83.5% from the charity strip (116 of 139) and averaged 1.3 assists per game.
She earned both AP and USBWA second-team All-American honors. Cunane was honored by consensus All-ACC First Team for the third consecutive year. In March, she was named the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second straight season.
Perez transferred to NC State ahead of the 2020-21 season. She averaged 9.0 points per game over two seasons, shooting 37% in 3.
Perez cemented herself in NC State history with two of the greatest plays in recent history. In 2021, Perez had the game-winning shot in the ACC Tournament title game against Louisville. In the Sweet 16 against Notre Dame, Perez got a steal and a layup with 14 seconds remaining to give the Pack a lead. She then hit two free throws to seal the win.
The WNBA season begins May 6.