NC State women’s basketball came away with its second win in Cancun, Mexico against the West Virginia Mountaineers after beating Vanderbilt on Thanksgiving.
The Wolfpack (6-1) breezed past the unranked Mountaineers (4-1) to come away with a 78-40 victory in which the red-and-white led the entire game just as they did in its previous game. After a loss against the UConn Huskies, the Pack has regained the momentum that steamrolled its opponents earlier in the season.
The starting unit was led by junior guard Diamond Johnson. Johnson has started every game this season at the point guard position, and is proving to be an elite score-first guard. She put up 16 points in both Mexico games, something that head coach Wes Moore is likely very happy to see.
In addition to Johnson’s scoring, graduate center River Baldwin put up a team-high 18 points, adding 11 rebounds to achieve the double-double. The emergence of Baldwin will be crucial for this team as the season unfolds, with the Pack in need of consistent play at the five position.
Moore has been vocal about his high expectations for all of his players but hasn’t been shy about singling Baldwin out. It appears that Baldwin has gotten increasingly comfortable in Moore’s system as each game passes.
Baldwin shot an efficient 8-12 from the field, but senior center Camille Hobby wasn’t far behind with a 50% field goal percentage. Hobby held down the starting center spot with eight points and nine rebounds.
The Wolfpack defense was all over West Virginia. The Mountaineers didn’t post any points until Kylee Blacksten hit a free throw with 7:30 to play in the first quarter, and the Mountaineers didn’t make its first field goal until the 6:31 mark.
NC State’s defense held West Virginia to six points in both the second and fourth quarters. Coming out of halftime has been a point of emphasis for Moore, and it’s clear that it will continue to be with West Virginia pouring in 16 total points to match 18 Wolfpack points in the third quarter.
Sophomore guard Saniya Rivers continues to be an elite defensive piece for this team. She provides length at the guard position along with athleticism to rack up steals and blocks. Rivers’ elite perimeter defense could see her thrust into the starting five at some point in the season.
With the conclusion of the Cancun Challenge, NC State will begin the ACC/B1G Challenge on Thursday Dec. 1 at 8:30 pm against Iowa. The Wolfpack will have to play another road game before they come home to face USF on Dec. 11.
NC State will continue to have questions answered as the season progresses, such as whether or not Baldwin is the capable starter that she was brought in to be, and who will run the offense when Johnson is off the floor.
