NC State women's basketball came in at No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll that was released Monday.

The newest poll returns the Wolfpack to its season-high position last year, which ties the program's best ranking since Jan. 2000.

The Pack is off to a 4-0 start in the 2020-21 campaign, including a 54-46 win over formerly-ranked No. 1 South Carolina in Columbia on Dec. 3. The Gamecocks fell to No. 5 in the latest rankings.

"I couldn't be prouder of a team, a group of girls," NC State head coach Wes Moore said following the upset. "We didn't shoot the ball very well, which we normally do. We really struggled. You got to give South Carolina a lot of credit for that and their defense. I'm just so proud of the way we battled."

The Pack followed up its program win last week by taking care of business against Coastal Carolina in a 98-46 victory in Reynolds Coliseum Sunday.

NC State was named the NCAA Team of the Week after jumping four spots following the program's first win against a top-ranked opponent since 2007.

The Wolfpack earned a No. 1 seed in ESPN's Charlie Creme's latest women's basketball bracketology along with national powerhouses UConn, Stanford and South Carolina.

The Pack will next face Elon at home on Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. before beginning its conference schedule Sunday against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

"That was a big win the other night, but there are a lot of teams playing well," Moore said. "The conference is going to be brutal, there are a lot of really good teams. Our conference is showing up really well right now in non-conference play."

Senior forward Kayla Jones earned ACC Player of the Week honors for her gritty performance in the win over South Carolina.

Jones had 16 points and 12 rebounds to post her sixth career double-double. She made both of her three-point attempts and added two assists and one block.

One of her two makes from the perimeter came with 27 seconds remaining to stretch the Pack's lead to five points late in the game. She followed up her clutch shot by drawing a charge on the very next play to give NC State the ball and a two-possession lead with 17 seconds remaining.

Junior center Elissa Cunane was quickly fouled and made both of her free throws to seal the Wolfpack victory.

Through four games, Jones is the second-leading scorer on the team averaging 12 points per contest and has a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game. She has also shot a team-best 62.5 percent from the perimeter, making 5-of-8 three-point attempts.

Fifth-year senior guard Raina Perez has quickly made her presence felt in her first season with the program after transferring from Cal State Fullerton this summer.

Through four contests, Perez is one of six Wolfpack players to average double-figure scoring. She's averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and one steal per game.

The 5-4 point guard has started twice and leads the country with a 17-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Perez played 37 minutes in the South Carolina game and was one of four Wolfpack players to score in double-figures with an 11-point performance. She also had a team-high four assists in the upset victory.

She posted a season-high 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the win over Coastal Carolina Sunday.

"I can't say enough about how fortunate we are to have her here," Moore said following the Coastal Carolina game. "She's such a heady player. She is always prepared and usually gets the ball where it needs to go. Obviously, she's shooting the three well.

"We're very blessed to have her here, and we're excited about what she brings to our team."

What made NC State's win over top-ranked South Carolina even more impressive last Thursday is that the Pack was without leading scorer sophomore forward Jada Boyd.

The program announced Boyd would miss the game just hours before tipoff due to a meniscal injury.

"We lost Jada Boyd this week for I don't know how long, and we really came down here kind of short-handed, as far as experience goes," Moore said following the South Carolina game. "I played the starters a lot of minutes and hopefully we can bring our freshmen along. I got confidence in them, but in a game like this, we needed to go with our veterans. They were probably hurting and everything else but just probably the way they battled."

The 6-2 forward also missed the Pack's contest against Coastal Carolina Sunday, but Moore provided positive news regarding the sophomore's status in the coming weeks.

The Wolfpack head coach said Boyd could return by the end of the calendar year after an arthroscopic procedure discovered minimal damage.

"That was big news," Moore said after the Coastal Carolina game. "My wife thinks I'm taking her to the Angus Barn tonight to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Don't tell her, but we're really celebrating that Jada Boyd's okay."

Boyd has averaged a team-high 14 points, six rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in two starts this season.

Senior guard Kai Crutchfield did not play against Coastal Carolina after suffering a minor foot injury while attempting to draw a charge against the Gamecocks last week.

"She's had some foot issues," Moore said. "We've had it X-rayed, and there isn't any structural damage or anything like that. She wasn't able to practice the last couple of days."

Moore seemed confident that she would be able to return to the lineup quickly once she's able to resume practice.

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