CLEVELAND — Everything was going well for the Wolfpack, until it wasn’t.

NC State women’s basketball was hanging tight with the University of South Carolina through 20 minutes of play. Both fanbases roared back and forth in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Coming out of halftime, fans suited up for another half of competitive basketball. Instead, Wolfpack fans were left defeated because of faulty shooting and lackluster defense.

“Tip your hat to them,” said head coach Wes Moore. “They made six out of 10 3s in the second half and again, we were really hurting in the paint. They’ve got a great team.” 

The Pack (31-7) has had a wild ride through March Madness, but it ended in the semifinals against the Gamecocks (37-0), losing 78-59. NC State started off strong and did everything right: It got points in the paint, rebounded the ball and forced turnovers. Once again, junior guard Aziaha James took over from beyond the arc and knocked down crucial 3-pointers for the red-and-white. 

Heading into the matchup, the Pack looked to prove its worth on the big stage. Despite USC being undefeated, the red-and-white has defeated teams that held the Gamecocks to close games. 

Both teams shot in the upper 40% range from the field, along with having similar 3-point percentages. The only difference between the two was that the Gamecocks had everything to lose while the Pack had everything to prove. 

Coming out of the locker room for halftime warmups and only down one point, 32-31, it seemed like NC State was ready to go, but it soon showed it wasn’t. South Carolina quickly went on a 12-3 run against the Wolfpack and kept it going for the entire frame. The Pack only scored six points throughout the third quarter and shot 9.1% from the field, while the Gamecocks took over with 29 points.

“Let me say that the first half was very competitive,” James said. “I just felt like in the third quarter, we didn’t come out of the locker room how we were supposed to come out in the locker room. I felt like we could have fought harder. I felt like we hung our heads and, you know, got into our heads mentally.” 

NC State tried to come back in the fourth quarter with a game-high 22 points, but it was not enough. USC was better than the Pack in every aspect of the game: 44 points in the paint, 30 points off the bench and 21 points on the fastbreak. The red-and-white couldn’t keep up. 

This game was the final matchup for graduate center River Baldwin, and the Alabama native played her heart out. Finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and a block, Baldwin left it all on the court and credited NC State with giving her the love of basketball back to her. 

“I wouldn’t trade my two years in Raleigh for anything,” Baldwin said. “I found a family here, a true family. They gave me confidence and made me fall in love with the game again. Having coaches that have confidence in you and trust you, and teammates that trust you and love you on and off the court and just knowing you can turn to that family at any time is incredible.” 

A thorn in the Pack’s side all night was center Kamilla Cardoso. The 6-foot-7 senior put up a double-double through the game and kept the red-and-white from scoring in the tough moments. The future WNBA player has been USC’s top player all year, and she was no different against the Pack.

“You got to give credit to the bigs of South Carolina,” Baldwin said. “They do a good job using their physicality. … I mean, Cardozo holds the ball over her head and I can’t reach it. You just have to use your body and make them score over you and try to keep you away from the basket as best as you can, but at the end of the day, it’s layups.”

Steals also played a large role in the Wolfpack’s loss: The Gamecocks totaled 21 fastbreak points compared to the Pack’s six. Despite USC giving the ball away more times, NC State could not get the job done through layups and jumpshots. The Gamecock defense was all over the Pack during both halves and played a physical game that NC State was not used to playing against. 

This season was not something to hang one’s head about though. NC State came into the season unranked and projected to be eighth in the ACC, and it proved everyone wrong. The 2023-24 team meshed together in a way that struck fear into teams across the country and showed that this was more than just a roster, but rather a sisterhood. 

“You see the joy and the chemistry that we have,” James said. “It’s never a dull moment between these girls. No, they’re not just my teammates. These are my sisters, and I’m gonna keep this memory forever. I will love this group of girls forever.” 

Baldwin and graduate forward Mimi Collins have no more years of eligibility and have played their last collegiate game. NC State might be losing two solid veteran players, but it is gaining the leadership and experience from James and junior guard Saniya Rivers. Hoping to see these ladies guide the next group of freshmen to another NCAA Tournament berth, Moore is already planning for next season.

“You know, it’s a great experience and hopefully we can draw from it now,” Moore said. “You know, I told them today I thought that in the last three weeks our practices were unbelievable. Our energy, our focus, we were locked in.” 

NC State will wait patiently for next season, with another matchup against the Gamecocks scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 10, in Charlotte, North Carolina.