After dropping four straight games to Virginia Tech, No. 20 NC State women’s basketball showed no mercy in an 85-57 victory over the Hokies Sunday night at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack (16-4, 8-1 ACC) came out of the gates fast, racking up 29 first-quarter points and an early 17-point lead. Out for blood, senior guard Aziaha James led the charge with 12 points in the quarter, burning the Hokies (14-6, 5-4 ACC) in the paint, and then stretching the floor as the quarter progressed. As a team, the Wolfpack closed the quarter shooting nearly 80% in one of the more impressive stretches of basketball all season.
“Once we score that first point and it’s early in the first quarter, I think, ‘Ok, it’s going to be a good game,’” said senior guard Saniya Rivers. “Once Aziaha hits one shot, Aziaha knows she’s going to score at least 20 points.”
James didn’t slow down when the quarter ended, haunting Virginia Tech throughout the evening. When the final buzzer sounded, James finished the game with a whopping 25 points, while shooting over 50% from the field. James also left her mark defensively with five boards and a pair of steals, causing issues for Virginia Tech all night. When James plays this well, it’ll be tough for anyone in the ACC to slow the Wolfpack.
“Just being one of the major leaders on this team, you gotta show up every night,” James said. “No matter if you’re sick, or hurt or anything you gotta show up for your team. My team is counting on me, so I gotta do it for them.”
Not to be outdone, Rivers dazzled the crowd at Reynolds Coliseum all night. The senior guard left her mark in all areas of the game, scoring 17 points and snagging a trio of steals. Amid a third-quarter explosion, Rivers surpassed 1,000 career points with a pair of free throws.
“Scoring 1,000 points is a great accomplishment at this level,” said head coach Wes Moore. “You could lock me in here for a couple of days and I couldn’t score 1,000 points, so I’m happy for her great accomplishment.”
Both on and off the court, Rivers has certainly meant the world to teammates, coaches and fans. Being so close to the 1,000-point milestone, Rivers’ teammates knew she could hit the mark and made sure to keep track. Going to the free throw line just two points away from 1,000, James made sure Rivers knew just how close she was. After swishing both free throws with ease, Reynolds Coliseum erupted into loud cheers, celebrating the Wolfpack star as she both wrote history and buried the Hokies’ grave.
“When I was on the line [James] was like, ‘No you literally need these two points and you’ll have 1,000 points,’” Rivers said. “I was like, ‘Wait how do you know?’ That’s my dog, we’re locked in and she just wants the best for me. I was just really, really happy I knocked the free throws down.”
While the Wolfpack’s scoring stole the show, its defensive improvement proved to be just as instrumental in the win. After a sluggish defensive performance against Syracuse, NC State regained its defensive focus and made life miserable for Virginia Tech’s offense. Additionally, the red-and-white’s defense fueled the offense by creating 16 points off turnovers, primarily from transition layups.
“Yesterday in practice we were really focused on trying to get up on our man a little more,” Moore said. “Put a little more pressure on, be on edge and ready to make a play. If they make a lazy pass, if a ball gets deflected let’s be the one that comes up with it and I thought that carried over to today.”
NC State seemed to make a concerted effort to own the paint. Outscoring the Hokies 50-28 in the paint, the Wolfpack played a physical offensive brand of basketball by setting picks and driving into the lane, rather than leaning on the outside shots. Virginia Tech had no answer, as the Pack worked tirelessly to create shots at the basket.
“We came into the game really focusing on ‘Let’s pick and roll,’” Moore said. “Make sure every time we reverse it we go set a pick on the ball. We got a few layups there early in the game with our roller getting to the rim. It also allows the person with the ball, if they don’t really commit to helping, she can get downhill.”
For NC State, winning this one was crucial. The red-and-white’s upcoming schedule will be a gauntlet, with four ranked opponents remaining on the schedule. However, the challenge presents NC State with a prime opportunity to build its resume for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament and valuable experience against teams that will be dancing in March.
Next up, NC State will travel to Winston-Salem for a tobacco road showdown at Wake Forest on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be available on ACC Network Extra.
