For the 13th time in the last 14 games, No. 17 NC State women’s basketball came out with a victory, this time in a 90-83 shootout against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
Rallying behind a dominant third quarter where it outscored the Demon Deacons (8-13, 1-9 ACC) by 15 points, the Wolfpack (17-4, 9-1 ACC) sits at second place in the conference and is well on pace for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with a chance to host the first two rounds.
NC State’s young talent shined in its conference win. Sophomore guard Zoe Brooks scored a team-high 18 points in just the second and third quarters alone. Brooks took over the primary scorer role after the Wolfpack’s typical top option — senior guard Aziaha James — scored a season-low seven points, the first time the nearly 17-point-per-game scorer has been held to single digits this season.
After missing extended time due to injury, freshman guard Zamareya Jones showed why she was one of the most highly touted recruits in the country. Jones played 24 minutes off the bench, scoring 17 points on 75% shooting to provide an offensive boost when the Wolfpack needed it most. The former five-star was injured immediately after her career-high outing against Louisville over a month ago but is finally back in full form.
Freshman forward Tilda Trygger also seems to be settling into head coach Wes Moore’s offense, making all four of her shots and all four free throws to record 12 points. Trygger has been Moore’s clear top choice at center and provides a strong offensive threat that helps space the floor for the rest of Moore’s four-guard lineup.
Though the Wolfpack emerged from Winston-Salem victorious, nearly losing to the worst team in the ACC raises questions in multiple areas. It allowed the Demon Deacons to score 83 points — 20 points over their average and the most NC State has allowed in a game this season.
NC State could do little to stop Wake Forest guards Rylie Theuerkauf and Raegyn Conley as they scored 25 and 21 points, respectively. Moore usually sticks senior guard Saniya Rivers on the opponent’s top option, but against a strong duo such as Theuerkauf and Conley, such a strategy can’t be employed.
The Pack struggled heavily from the 3-point line, making just four of its 16 attempts from long-range. Only Jones made multiple shots from beyond the arc, and with 3-point threats such as James and graduate guard Madison Hayes shooting poorly, the Wolfpack’s inconsistencies were made prevalent.
NC State couldn’t even find consistency at the charity stripe. Though it made 22 free throws attempts, it missed 11, causing the game to be much closer than it should’ve been. The Wolfpack will need to make adjustments in the future to avoid such issues again, especially with five ranked matchups in February.
The Wolfpack has little time to readjust as it enters the most dangerous part of its schedule, beginning with a home matchup against No. 10 Duke on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.
