No. 5 NC State women's basketball battles for ACC/SEC challenge win
Vanderbilt committed 23 fouls against No. 5 NC State, attempting to take the program out of its offensive rhythm with physical play Wednesday night. The Pack responded, relying on a stout defensive effort to hold off a late run and leave Reynolds Coliseum with a 70-62 win in the ACC/SEC challenge.
Junior guard Saniya Rivers continued to stand out on both ends of the court, finishing the game with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. NC State once again won the rebounding battle, outpacing the Commodores on the boards 50-35 and improving to an undefeated 8-0 on the season.
NC State took a 13-11 lead after a physical first quarter. The Commodores and Pack battled inside, and the refs let both teams play through it. After the Commodores tied the game up at 11, freshman point guard Zoe Brooks dished a pass to freshman center Mallory Collier in the closing seconds to give the Pack the advantage going into the second quarter.
Foul trouble caught up to Vanderbilt in the following period. By the official timeout with 4:40 left in the half, 3 starters, and 4 players overall, picked up 2 fouls. Junior guard Aziaha James and senior guard Madison Hayes also committed 2 early personals. As a result, the team played freshmen Laci Steele, Brooks and Collier for extended minutes together.
Steele hit a three in the second period that put the Pack ahead after Vanderbilt took a 19-18 lead. That bucket gave NC State a lead that the hosts never let up. The Commodores did not score for more than 5 minutes in the period.
Rivers took over, scoring 10 of the program’s 22 points to wrap up the half. NC State took a 35-26 lead into halftime thanks in part to the junior guard’s 15 points, including a pair of threes, and 5 rebounds.
The Wolfpack forced a Vanderbilt timeout 1:12 into the third quarter. Hayes found James on a swing pass to the opposite corner, and the junior guard nailed a three. Then, Rivers converted on a transition layup to force the early pause in play.
Vanderbilt shot 26 percent in the third quarter, leading to a constantly growing lead for the Pack. Baldwin and Rivers combined for 13 points, and NC State recorded 3 blocks and 3 steals, 2 by Rivers, to lock the Commodores down defensively. The Pack led 54-36 going into the final 10 minutes.
Brooks and James started the fourth quarter with a three, helping the hosts continue to pull away. Vanderbilt countered with a late 9-0 run that cut the Pack lead to 9 with 1:56 to go in the game. Rivers found James for a bucket that expanded the lead before another bucket drew the Commodores within 8 points.
James finished with 14 points and grabbed 5 boards. Baldwin scored 12 points and also paced the Pack with 9 rebounds, and Brooks swiped 4 steals to go along with 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 10 points. NC State missed 12 free throws and turned the ball over 15 times.
The undefeated Pack returns to the court Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. for a home showdown with Illinois State.
