The seventh-ranked NC State women's basketball team (17-2, 5-2 ACC) picked up a road win over Clemson (8-12, 1-7 ACC), defeating the Tigers 71-49 on Thursday night in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Madison Hayes led all players on the floor in scoring with a new career high of 24 points, shooting 10-of-15 overall and knocking down 3-of-5 threes. Hayes has now tallied 20+ point games in each of the Pack's last two meetings against the Tigers, and she also led the squad on the boards with nine rebounds on the night to barely miss out on the double-double.
Saniya Rivers added 13 points and also had her second seven-steal game in as many games played.
Mimi Collins posted 14 points to round out NC State's double-figure scorers.
As a team, NC State's 16 steals were the most in a game for the team since it had 17 in a Dec. 19, 2014 win over Davidson.
Clemson struck first, but NC State went on a 13-0 run in the opening minutes of the first quarter to give itself an early cushion. The Pack made six of its first nine shots from the floor, but Clemson was able to hang around courtesy of a few made three pointers. NC State closed out the first by scoring the final five of that period and extended that run into the next quarter, overall putting up 14 unanswered points to go up 32-15 in the first minute of the second.
The Wolfpack shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) in the second quarter while limiting Clemson to only three made shots in the same period to take a 20-point lead (43-23) into the break. NC State got outscored in the third quarter 18-12 but maintained a 12+ point advantage for the final 20 minutes thanks to the early advantage it built up in the first.
The Tigers' 49 points marked the fewest that NC State has given up in a game in ACC play this season.
The victory snapped the Pack's two-game road skid and marked the team's 15th straight over the Tigers. NC State remains unbeaten (11-0) against Clemson in the 11-year tenure of head coach
Wes Moore.
NC State stays on the road for its next game as it makes the trip to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on Boston College on Sunday. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and the Eagles is set for 2 p.m. from the Conte Forum, and the game will be broadcast live on ACCNX.
https://gopack.com/news/2024/1/25/womens-basketball-pack-takes-care-of-business-against-tigers-in-71-49-win