NC State women's basketball (2-0) earned a statement win in front of a sellout home crowd as it took down UConn (1-1) by a 92-81 score on Sunday afternoon inside of Reynolds Coliseum.
The victory marked NC State's first time beating a top-five team while unranked since knocking off No. 2 Notre Dame at home on Dec. 29, 2016 and its first top-five win in general since Jan. 20, 2022. The Wolfpack snapped a six-game losing streak to the Huskies and came out on top in the matchup for the first time since the 1998 Elite Eight.
Saniya Rivers highlighted the night with a career-high 33-point performance, the first time an NC State player has scored 30 or more points since Feb. 3, 2019. The Wilmington, N.C., native shot 11-of-19 from the field while adding 10 rebounds and five assists, the first 30/10/5 game in the
Wes Moore era and her first career double-double.
Aziaha James (18) and
Madison Hayes (10) also scored in double figures as did
Zoe Brooks (12) off the bench for the second time in as many games in her Wolfpack career.
Following the first quarter, during which it shot 40 percent (6-of-15), the Wolfpack put together three 50+ percent shooting frames to average 56.8 percent (25-of-44) the rest of the game. NC State also out-rebounded UConn by 12 (41-29).
Fueled by Wolfpack Nation, NC State overcame multiple deficits in the first half to trail by just one (43-42) at the break. UConn went up by seven early, but the Pack brought it back within two on multiple occasions in the first quarter. The Huskies, however, ended the first frame on a 7-0 run to lead 25-16 after 10 minutes played.
The Pack remained resilient through that run and managed to tie it up (30-30) for the first time since opening tip at the 5:46 mark of the second quarter. NC State took its first lead of the game with 2:17 left in the half and went up by as many as three after a 6-0 run by James and Rivers, but the Huskies scored the last two buckets of the half to go back in front.
After tying the game three times throughout the opening minutes of the third quarter, the Wolfpack was able to regain the lead for good thanks to a three from Collins at the 5:47 mark. Rivers was able to eclipse her previous career-high of 22 points with a three at the 2:05 mark in the third that made it 62-55.
UConn put up two of the first three baskets in the final frame before NC State rattled off an 11-0 run that established a 75-61 lead at the 5:53 mark thanks to hot shooting from James and Rivers. The Wolfpack duo accounted for all of the team's points in that run. The Huskies never got closer than seven points down the stretch, and the Pack was able to close out the win from the free throw line.
NC State continues its four-game, season-opening homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 15 when it hosts Elon. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and the Phoenix is set for 7 p.m. from Reynolds Coliseum, and the game will be streamed on ACCNX.
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