You would never know from the final score that the No. 8 NC State women’s basketball team got one of its toughest tests of the season in a 77-59 win over Clemson.
The Wolfpack (11-1, 1-0 ACC) received all it could from the Tigers (8-4, 0-1 ACC), but a resilient effort led by a career-high 20 points from junior guard Madison Hayes helped the red-and-white pull away in the second half.
“It wasn’t a pretty baby, but it was our baby,” said head coach Wes Moore. “Clemson, give them a lot of credit; they’re super athletic, they’re flying around, switching up their D, switching up their press, but I thought our kids hung in there being a little shorthanded. I’ll be honest, I’m just glad to get the heck out of here with a W.”
In its second straight game without both junior guard Diamond Johnson and senior forward Jada Boyd, NC State knew it was going to be in for a fight against Clemson, who came out in a press defense and made it clear early on that this wasn’t going to be an easy win like the Pack is used to.
Clemson’s press forced eight NC State turnovers in the first quarter, and the Tigers jumped out to a 28-22 lead at the end of a high-scoring first frame. It could have been a much bigger lead had it not been for the play of graduate forward Mimi Collins, who had nine points in the first 10 minutes and is settling in as a starter.
“I know both ways; I know how to come off the bench, I know the momentum that it takes, I know what it takes to get in and see what’s going on,” Collins said. “I also know how to start a game as well, so I’ve been on both sides. Being a vet, it was pretty easy for me.”
While Clemson was on pace to score over 100 points after the first quarter, NC State clamped down on defense in the second, holding the Tigers to just six points and two made shots from the field. The Pack closed out the half strong, ending on a 14-1 run to take a 42-34 lead into halftime.
The lead got as big as 10 in the third, but Clemson just wouldn’t go away, getting it back to within three before a 3-pointer by senior wing Jakia Brown-Turner at the end of the quarter made it 59-53 heading into the final frame.
It was all Wolfpack and all Hayes in the fourth, with the junior tallying 12 points in the fourth as the Pack outscored the Tigers 18-6 over the final 10 minutes for a comfortable win. It was a career night for Hayes, and most of her points came in the biggest moments, helping send the sold out crowd at Reynolds Coliseum into a familiar uproar.
“I’m just trying to set the tone for my team,” Hayes said. “Whether it’s getting steals, even if I’m not scoring or having a bad night, I’m always contributing in different ways.”
Championship teams have people who can step up, and NC State certainly had that. To go along with Hayes, Collins had one of her better performances in a red-and-white uniform with 16 points, and five others scored eight or more.
“It goes to show how many weapons we have as a whole team,” Collins said. “JB and Diamond, you obviously know that they’re monsters within themselves, but also the whole team is like that. I feel like it was easy for us to pick up that slack because everybody on this team is so versatile and they bring something that’s very special to the team.”
If this game was any indication, however, nothing is going to come easy for the Pack in conference play this year, and Clemson gave the team just a taste of what it will have to contend with. While Johnson and Boyd are out, every win is going to have to be earned.
“Especially when they look at the film, in the first quarter, they’re gonna be like, ‘We’re gonna press them all night,’” Hayes said. “I just feel like once we get that down and learn how to see that type of play, being aggressive, I feel like we’ll be fine.”
After an 11-day break for Christmas, NC State will get right back into the thick of ACC play when it hosts Duke on Thursday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum.
