Reigning Big West women's basketball Player of the Year Raina Perez will transfer to NC State, the school announced Thursday.
Perez will be eligible for the 2020-21 season as a graduate transfer from Cal State Fullerton. She is a significant addition for a team that finished second in the ACC and returns four starters.
A 5-foot-4 guard, Perez led the Big West in scoring last season and ranked 14th nationally at 19.8 points per game. She was an efficient scorer at the mid-major level, shooting 46% from the floor, 36% from the 3-point line and 82% from the free throw line.
"We're very excited to add such a prolific scorer as Raina Perez," NC State coach Wes Moore said in a statement. "A combo guard, she can create her own shot while also keeping her teammates involved. With the recent graduation of three talented guards, Raina brings much-needed experience and scoring to the position."
Despite her size, she averaged 5.2 rebounds per game last season and ranked 19th nationally by averaging 37.3 minutes per game.
Perez also averaged 4.2 assists per game, fourth in the Big West. Her ability to distribute the ball should help NC State replace point guard Aislinn Konig. The lone starter lost from a team that compiled a 28-4 record and won the ACC tournament before the cancellation of the NCAA tournament, Konig led the Wolfpack in assists and was the ACC tournament most outstanding player.
The ACC tournament title was NC State's first since 1991 under the late Kay Yow.
NC State also loses reserve guards Kaila Ealey and Grace Hunter.
Perez began her college career at Northern Arizona then sat out the 2017-18 season after transferring to Fullerton. With the Titans, she tied for the team lead in scoring in her first season on the court in 2018-19 and received all-conference honorable mention.