With men’s basketball and football experiencing disappointing seasons, No. 13 NC State women’s basketball has become Wolfpack fans’ main source of hope in the 2024-25 season.

NC State began the season ranked No. 9, but the Wolfpack staggered in games against then-No. 1 South Carolina, then-No. 7 LSU and a tough TCU team, all of which are currently ranked in the top 10, causing it to drop out of the AP Poll. Nonetheless, the team kept pushing forward. Rallying behind an undefeated record at Reynolds Coliseum, NC State won 16 of its next 17 games, including three against top-20 opponents, and peaked at No. 10 in the AP Poll.

But the Wolfpack just fell to then-No. 12 UNC-Chapel Hill in a heart-pounding 66-65 loss. At first glance, it doesn’t look like a big deal — it’s just one bucket, after all. NC State hasn’t won in its rival’s arena since 2022 and defeating a top-12 team on the road is a tough task. Senior guard Aziaha James simply had an uncharacteristically rough night from the field but will be back better than ever.

But if you look closer, NC State’s loss against UNC exposes a bigger flaw in the red-and-white’s game. The Wolfpack hasn’t played a complete game. Instead of pointing at James’ poor performance or the Tar Heels’ home-court advantage, look no further than the second quarter, where NC State scored just four points in 10 minutes. Senior guard Saniya Rivers scored every point and shot just 22% in the quarter. On the other hand, UNC took full advantage and scored 18 points in those 10 minutes, heavily swinging the game in its favor.

Besides that second quarter, the Wolfpack outscored the Tar Heels in the other three quarters by a combined margin of 13 points. It outscored its rival in their own gym by double digits through three quarters, but one bad quarter took away the opportunity at a Quad 1 win.

This isn’t just a one-time occurrence either. In NC State’s hard-fought home win against then-No. 10 Duke, it opened with a statement first quarter, scoring 24 points against the second-best defense in the ACC. Making over 61% of its shots, the Wolfpack looked like a team that was ready to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

But much like its match against UNC, the Wolfpack squandered it all in the second quarter. Duke shot out on a 17-0 run to take full control of the match. NC State scored just eight points in the quarter while the Blue Devils scored 26, entering halftime with a commanding 11-point lead.

The red-and-white was forced to play from behind for the entirety of the second half and needed all of James’ career-high 36 points to win. NC State outscored Duke by 24 points in the other three quarters combined, yet the abysmal second quarter forced the game to be way closer than it should’ve been.

In its road loss against then-No. 24 California, the Wolfpack took control with a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter but went into halftime down six after the Golden Bears outscored the Pack by 12 in the second quarter.

This issue isn’t even confined to this season. In last year’s Final Four matchup against eventual National Champions South Carolina, NC State was down by just one point at halftime. It had one of the nation’s top women’s basketball schools on the ropes. But the Wolfpack was outscored 29-6 in the third quarter, instantly putting the game out of reach, ending NC State’s season and keeping it out of the National Championship game.

Time and time again, NC State looks like one of the best teams in the nation for 30 minutes but looks like a high school junior varsity team for the other 10.

Identifying the source of the issue is much harder. Unlike some other NC State coaches, head coach Wes Moore is one of the best in the nation, proving so over and over throughout his 12 years with the Wolfpack. It isn’t a roster issue either. NC State boasts a Wooden Award late midseason top 20 player, a projected WNBA first-round pick and multiple former five-star recruits.

Whether it’s overconfidence, playing down to its opponent’s level or some other mystery reason, NC State needs to quickly figure out its issue before the postseason comes around. With just four regular-season games remaining, time is running out for NC State to solve its problems. The Wolfpack has won multiple games even with its low-scoring quarter issues, but that won’t work against top contenders like UCLA, UConn or USC.

With consecutive matchups at No. 20 Georgia Tech and home against No. 1 Notre Dame, the time is now for NC State to play its best for a full 40 minutes. No 10-minute slip-ups or four-point quarters. To replicate its postseason magic, the Wolfpack needs to follow through with complete games.