In the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the NC State women’s basketball team got the program’s first first-round exit since 2014 in a loss to Princeton.
One year later, a new and improved Wolfpack breezed through the round and took down Chattanooga 64-45 in front of a sold out Reynolds Coliseum.
The Wolfpack (28-6) came into the tournament as the No. 3 seed, pitting the red-and-white with No. 14 seed Chattanooga (28-5), providing a bittersweet moment for two members of the Pack. Head coach Wes Moore coached the Mocs from 1998 to 2013, winning 12 Southern Conference championships during his time there, while senior guard Madison Hayes, a Chattanooga native herself, posted eight rebounds and four assists through the matchup.
“I have a great love for Chattanooga and UTC,” Moore said. “I was afraid the NCAA committee was going to do this, but, again, proud of them. … Congrats to them on their season. And, again, we’re proud of these young ladies [at NC State] and what they were able to do.”
Don’t let the seedings fool you though; Chattanooga started off hot in enemy territory. A quick 3 put the Mocs on the board first and caused the Pack to play catch-up for over half of the first quarter. Gritty play and striking defense caused a low-scoring first frame from both benches, but the red-and-white ultimately came out on top.
“I think we just had to let the game come to us,” said graduate center River Baldwin. “I mean, we were not hitting [shots] early. We just stayed together and let our defense lead the offense. When we get the momentum going, we’re usually good.”
There were moments throughout all four quarters that gave momentum dramatically to either bench, with scoring droughts common all through the game. Chattanooga had several minutes without a basket early in the second quarter, allowing NC State, especially junior guard Saniya Rivers, to carve out a sizable lead.
Rivers, one of the Pack’s most reliable players throughout the regular season, was the Pack’s flame while playing the Mocs. Finishing the game with 16 points and eight rebounds, the guard shined in both offensive and defensive situations. Baldwin also shined for NC State, posting 11 rebounds and 10 points.
Despite Chattanooga playing rough, the Wolfpack defense kept them at bay throughout the majority of the game. It took until the fourth quarter for the Mocs to score more than 10 points in a frame, along with only shooting 15 3-pointers compared to the red-and-white’s 29. Both teams came into the matchup pretty even on the stats sheet, but the Pack’s longer, tougher defense proved to be too much for the blue-and-gold.
Coming out of halftime leading 26-17, the Pack turned its offense on during the third and fourth quarter, scoring 38 points in the final half. Junior guard Aziaha James took over from the 3-point line for NC State, going 5-7 from beyond the arc after going 0-3 in the first half. Finishing the game leading the team with 19 points, James scored the majority of those with the 3-point shot.
“I said we hadn’t played in a while and you’re excited with adrenaline and all that,” Moore said. “I thought we had some good looks, just didn’t knock shots down. Fortunately, we kind of got in the flow a little bit later, but you know, we’re gonna need to try to get off to a better start. Hopefully getting this first game out of the way will help on Monday.”
It was stop-and-go through the third frame, with the referees blowing their whistles multiple times to send the Pack to the free throw line. When the red-and-white would go dry in the field, it was the free shots that kept them above the Mocs. The team was 20-25 through their time at the line and was able to keep momentum going with every 1-point made.
Another five-minute scoring drought for Chattanooga sent Reynolds into a frenzy, causing NC State to go on a 12-0 run to get a 41-20 lead. At the same time, the Pack’s defense got hot once again, causing the Mocs to pass the ball and force bad shots.
“I think the tough part when you come into a game like this — the defense’s now a little longer and maybe a little more athletic, and you tend to rush your shot,” Moore said. “I thought we did a pretty good job. There were certain things we wanted to do, like taking away [their] right hand.”
With a 45-26 lead at the end of the third quarter, NC State took its foot off the gas during the fourth, allowing Chattanooga to score 19 points and get up on the scorecard. The Mocs shot 50% from the field during the final frame, but it was not enough to stop the red-and-white.
When the final buzzer sounded, it was a 64-45 win for the Pack along with a trip to the second round of the Tournament. This loss was the Mocs’ first loss of the season on the road and stretched the program’s all-time NCAA record to 1-17.
Earlier in the day, Tennessee’s Lady Vols defeated Green Bay 92-62 and anxiously waited to see who they would take on in the round of 32 teams. NC State has a dangerous history with the Vols, holding only three wins throughout the 15 games played between the two programs. The two teams haven’t faced off for 20 years, but they will Monday, March 25, in Reynolds.
