In the highly anticipated game against long-time rival UNC-Chapel Hill, the NC State women’s basketball team dominated the Heels 78-49 Sunday in the Holliday Gymnasium at Broughton High School.
The junior guard duo of Miah Spencer and Dominique Wilson once again proved to be dominant, combining for 41 points. The Wolfpack (16-6, 7-2 ACC) nursed just a five-point lead over the Tar Heels (12-11, 2-6 ACC) going into halftime, but a dominant third quarter in which it outscored the opponent 28-11 set the tone and helped the Pack put the game away.
“We came out with a lot of confidence and a lot of energy in the second half,” head coach Wes Moore said. “To hold the Tar Heels to 21 [second-half] points is impressive. This team is showing some maturity and handled it well after the game. I’m proud of the way our kids responded after a close first half.”
Momentum swung back and forth in the early going, as the Pack went on a 7-2 run to take a 10-6 lead, but the Heels quickly followed that up with a 6-0 run to make it a 12-10 game with 5:53 left in the first quarter. The game remained close, as NC State ended the quarter with a 19-17 lead. Each team shot aggressively but inefficiently from behind the arc, with the Pack shooting 4 of 11 and the Tar Heels shooting 3 of 9 in the first quarter alone.
The second quarter wasn’t nearly as high scoring as the first as State opened a 7-2 run in a four-minute span. The Pack maintained the lead, ending the half with a 33-28 lead. The three-point shooting did not improve for either team as the Wolfpack was 6 of 20 and the Heels were 4 of 13. Juniors Jennifer Mathurin and Dominique Wilson led all scorers with nine points apiece, although Mathurin finished the half just 2 of 7 from distance after starting hot at 2 of 3.
With the 3-point shot not working, the Pack changed its game plan for the second half, making all six of its two-point shots in the first 5:39 of the third quarter while attempting only two 3-pointers to spark a 15-8 run to start the half. NC State dominated the quarter, outscoring UNC 28-11 behind 11 points from Spencer, who only scored five points in nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, to end with a commanding 61-39 lead. The Wolfpack shot an astounding 10 of 15 (66.7 percent) in the third quarter.
With the game all but decided heading into the fourth quarter, the Pack opted to slow the pace down, and it still outscored UNC 17-10 in the quarter to close out the game.
Wilson led all scorers with 21 points on 7 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from deep. Spencer did just about everything for the Wolfpack, totaling 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a steal. Mathurin registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Junior guard Ashley Williams joined them in double figures with 13 points. Additionally, the Pack had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, garnering 15 assists to 13 turnovers.
“We moved the ball well, we did a nice job especially against the zone,” Moore said. “We got four kids in double figures, which gave us some balance and it’s tough just to take away one.”
The Pack looks to keep the momentum going as it takes on Notre Dame on the road Thursday at 7 p.m.
“It’s the first time in four years that we’ve beat [UNC],” Spencer said. “It’s a really good feeling. We’re reaching our peak at a good time. We just got to focus, keep pushing, keep working hard in practice.”
