Down two starters and toting an eight-player rotation, the No. 8 NC State women’s basketball team took care of business in its final nonconference game, making quick work of Davidson in an 81-47 blowout.
The Wolfpack (10-1) got a career-high-tying 19 points from sophomore guard Aziaha James and shot 53.2% from the field while holding the Wildcats (4-7) to 36.4%.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever coached a game with just eight players suited out,” said head coach Wes Moore. “I thought everybody did some good things.”
This was the first game since junior guard Diamond Johnson went down with an injury in the team’s win over USF and filling in for her was sophomore guard Saniya Rivers, who made her first start for NC State. She played Johnson’s usual role as floor general, tallying a game-high five assists and finished with eight points and two steals to complement.
“I had a lot of fun just being a floor general,” Rivers said. “I don’t really have to score to be happy.”
Senior forward Jada Boyd missed her third straight game due to injury, but the bigs stepped up in her absence. Senior center Camille Hobby finished with 14 points on an efficient 7-9 from the field, while graduate center River Baldwin came off the bench to tally her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
“It was really big just seeing them do their thing in the paint,” Rivers said. “I’m proud of both of them.”
It was Hobby and James doing damage early, with Hobby working inside and James stroking it from deep to combine for 17 of NC State’s 25 first-quarter points. The Pack went on an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter and continued the streak by scoring the first eight points of the next frame to take a 33-15 lead.
Davidson only scored six points in the second quarter as NC State doubled up the Wildcats 44-22 by halftime. Baldwin’s paint presence played a large part of this, as she was simply too powerful for the Wildcats.
Another big component of the halftime advantage was 3-point shooting. The Wolfpack got hot from distance, hitting five 3-pointers with over eight minutes to play in the half.
The third quarter saw another strong finish from the Wolfpack, who ended on another 8-0 run. There was some turbulence in regards to the quality of play in this quarter, but James’ fifth 3-pointer of the night gave the Pack the life it needed.
“She’s capable of doing that, especially when she’s shooting the 3 well,” Moore said. “Really got her off to a good start. She’s explosive and can do some things.”
The red-and-white outscored the Wildcats 18-10 in the fourth quarter to close out the 81-47 win. The Wildcats appeared to throw in the towel after trailing by more than 20 points for the majority of the second and third quarters, giving the exhausted Wolfpack players a chance to take their foot off the gas.
Despite being shorthanded, NC State still managed to dominate the glass, finishing with a 43-24 rebounding advantage. However, one area the Pack will look to shore up is its free-throw play after shooting a dismal 50%.
The Pack expects to get Boyd and Johnson back in the near future as they both rehab their respective injuries. It is unknown if either player will be available for the upcoming ACC opener against Clemson.
The Wolfpack will host the Tigers at Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. in a conference showdown.
