No. 5 NC State women’s basketball ground out a hard-fought win on the road against an extremely talented Boston College squad, taking down the Eagles 85-78 in OT.
The Pack (22-3, 13-1 ACC) had its fair share of adversities to overcome on the evening, from an offensive clinic by Boston College guard Cameron Swartz to early deficits. As it has done many times this year, however, NC State pushed right through the obstacles in its path, taking down the Eagles (15-9, 6-7 ACC) with a true grit-and-grind performance.
The previously mentioned early deficits have been a common theme for this Wolfpack squad throughout the year, constantly putting itself in positions that force it to battle back late. Boston College quickly jumped out to a 13-2 lead to start the game, setting the tone for the majority of the first half.
Sophomore guard Diamond Johnson was the biggest bright spot for the Pack in those desolate first two quarters of action, racking up 10 points, four assists and two rebounds by halftime. Johnson’s early performance, paired with solid supporting play from graduate forward Kayla Jones and junior forward Jada Boyd, managed to keep the Pack’s mentality positive to help fuel the team’s eventual comeback.
If one player for Boston College wanted to spoil that opportunity for NC State, it was definitely Swartz. The No. 8 scorer in the ACC this season certainly had a lot to say with her play on the court, managing to accumulate 18 points by halftime and serving as the leading proponent to the Eagles’ first-half dominance. She would eventually finish the matchup with a game-high 24 points. Swartz’s ability on the ball was not something to be taken lightly, resulting in head coach Wes Moore not being surprised by her electrifying first-half shooting performance.
“I mean you got to give her a lot of credit, she’s been doing this,” Moore said. “It wasn’t like we got caught off guard. … But you know like I said, give them credit. They shot the ball extremely well most of the game and we didn’t. They hit 10 out of 21 3s, and we were 5 out of 26. They made shots, and that’s always the great equalizer for sure.”
Regardless of the equalizing power making shots holds on its own, the Pack managed to find a way to win this matchup through other facets of the game. NC State’s work on the boards played a huge role in its ability to battle back early on, finishing the evening outrebounding the Eagles by a margin of 46 to 33. The Pack was able to cash in on 12 second-chance points from its 20 offensive boards, and the team’s 40 points from the paint outweighed Boston College’s 26 handily.
Coming out of the halftime break, down 35-32, the Pack needed to act quickly to establish a different presence on the court in the second half. A 9-0 run following a Boston College bucket to open the third quarter’s scoring did exactly that, giving the Wolfpack its first lead of the game. What had been the Johnson show up until this point quickly transitioned into graduate guard Raina Perez’s time to shine, putting her first points of the game up in the third and never looking back. Perez’s nine third-quarter points were essential for the Pack to avoid getting complacent with its slim lead, and her 13 total points by the end of the night played an essential role in NC State walking out of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts with a win.
Johnson’s early dominant presence never faltered throughout the night, with the guard playing an integral role in all of her 35 minutes on the court. Her 22 points led the team in scoring, followed by Jones’ 17 and Perez’s 13 to round out the Pack’s best offensive performers.
“The last three years she’s been the glue, someone that fills up the stat sheet,” Moore said. “You just trust her, as a coach that’s the biggest thing; when you put somebody in or have someone out there and you can trust them to do what they’re supposed to do in certain situations, and most of the time KJ does that.”
Graduate guard Kai Crutchfield also played a huge role in the Pack’s OT victory, with 12 points, two assists and a pair of steals. While no particular stat of hers jumps off the page, Crutchfield did it all for a Wolfpack team that desperately needed it tonight. As she does time and time again, Crutchfield put her team in the positions it needed to be to find a win in her 40 minutes of playing time.
With the win, NC State remains at the top of the ACC table at 13-1 in conference play. The next challenger that stands in its path is the Duke Blue Devils, a team that NC State travels to Durham to play on Sunday, Feb. 13. The Pack has split the last two meetings 1-1 with its neighboring program, signifying that nothing is off the table in the upcoming matchup. Tip-off for that one is set for 2 p.m. and will be yet another road test for the Pack, which is looking to continue establishing its claim on the ACC.
