NC State women's basketball (16-2, 4-2) moved back into the win column in front of a sold-out Reynolds Coliseum crowd on Sunday afternoon, knocking off in-state foe Duke (12-6, 4-3) 72-57, ending the Blue Devils' three-game win streak.
Aziaha James led the way for the Wolfpack in scoring, firing off a career-best 33 points. James' performance made it the first time in the
Wes Moore era that two different players tabbed a 30+ point showing over the course of a single season, with
Saniya Rivers' 33-point effort against UConn on Nov. 12 marking the first of NC State's 2023-24 campaign.
Rivers had a strong outing against Duke as well, passing out a team-high five assists and finishing one short of her career-high in steals with seven, while
Mimi Collins contributed 10 rebounds en route to a 16-point double-double.
The Wolfpack got moving quickly on both ends of the floor, using an 11-0 run over less than three minutes of game time to move ahead 14-4 in the opening frame. The Pack scored a game-high 23 points in the first quarter, aided by a 10-0 edge in points off turnovers.
A strong wire-to-wire defensive showing from NC State limited Duke to 23 first-half points and 57 total on the afternoon, in addition to forcing the Blue Devils into 19 turnovers, which matched the Wolfpack defense's season high. The offense was able to capitalize on the other end of the floor, with the Pack adding 24 points off of Duke miscues.
Even with defense being the storyline of the contest, the Wolfpack offense posted its best shooting performance of ACC play, finishing the afternoon at a 45.5 percent (25-for-55) clip.
After NC State carried a 15-point lead into halftime, Duke never brought the score within single digits from that point, with NC State's lead stretching to as many as 23 points at 57-34 and 59-36 in the third quarter.
A cruise-control effort from NC State in the fourth quarter improved the Wolfpack to a perfect 10-0 at home on the year, with NC State having now won its last 12 games in Reynolds Coliseum and its last five ACC contests on its home floor.
The Wolfpack hits the road for back-to-back road games, first taking on Clemson on Thursday night. That contest is set for a 7 p.m. start on ACCNX.
https://gopack.com/news/2024/1/21/womens-basketball-4-pack-bounces-back-with-home-win-against-in-state-foe-duke