Durham, N.C. — No. 6 NC State women’s basketball dropped its second consecutive game, falling to the Duke Blue Devils 69-58 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

From the jump, NC State (23-5, 11-6 ACC) played catchup as it struggled to match Duke’s (18-9, 10-7 ACC) energy. Despite some solid individual performances, the Wolfpack couldn’t overcome the Blue Devils.

The key to the game was Duke’s electric first half where the Blue Devils forced three turnovers in the first two and a half minutes as the Pack looked lost on the floor. The Blue Devils jumped out to an 11-2 lead, which ultimately set the pace for the remainder of the game as NC State remained stuck in a daunting hole.

“Duke came in ready to play from the tip,” said head coach Wes Moore. “And we obviously took a punch pretty early.”

As the quarter came to a close, the red-and-white’s offensive woes continued even though it helped keep the margin close at 13-8. Ultimately, the Pack finished the first quarter shooting a measly 14% from the field. 

To open the second quarter, the Pack had a chance to cut down on the deficit, forcing two early turnovers. However, the struggles continued as it did not capitalize on these rare opportunities. 

As the deficit continued to grow, a consistent feature of the Pack’s game came from graduate center River Baldwin, who proved to be a bright spot for NC State, tallying nine points and nine rebounds in the first half to help give the Pack a counterweight. She finished the contest with a double-double with 14 points along with 10 rebounds. 

However, as the quarter continued, NC State did not do itself any favors as it turned the ball over four more times, finishing the half with a total of eight turnovers which Duke turned into eight points. Despite its struggles, the Pack managed to bring the score to 28-18 with 2:20 left in the half.

Duke regained momentum in the knick of time, utilizing a strong final minute of the half as it pieced together a 7-1 run. This included a last-second Duke 3-pointer to give it a 35-19 halftime advantage. A major piece to the halftime deficit was NC State shooting an uncharacteristically low 21% from the field.

In the second half, the flow of the game remained unchanged. Duke once again found defensive success, forcing three turnovers in the first few minutes. A pair of Blue Devil 3s extended Duke’s lead to 43-21 for its largest lead of the game. 

Down big, the Pack pieced together a 9-0 run in response, which included two 3-pointers from graduate guard Aziaha James to cut the Devils’ lead to 43-30. However, like the first half, Duke quickly regained momentum as it put together a 9-2 run in response. 

As the fourth quarter began, NC State needed to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time with the score at 52-37. The Pack put together its best quarter of the evening. For a majority of the period, junior guard Saniya Rivers and freshman guard Zoe Brooks teamed up to chip away Duke’s lead. Both were key in helping get the Pack to within single digits near the end of the quarter at 58-49 and combined for 23 points. 

Even as the Pack sparked some momentum, it struggled to find answers for the Devils’ presence in the paint. Both Kennedy Brown and Taina Mair torched the Wolfpack, combining on the game for 35 points and 13 boards for the Blue Devils.

In the final minute, the Pack looked as if it was still in striking range as timely free throws and another 3 from James kept the score within reach. After a slow first half, James had a very productive game as she finished with 15 points, including a perfect three for three from behind the arc. However, it was ultimately not enough as the Pack did not have enough time to overcome its deficit. 

“I am proud of my team for battling back in the second half and competing a little better, but in this league, 20 minutes doesn’t get it.” Moore said. “We got to make sure we’re ready to play when they toss it up and put 40 minutes together.”

NC State dropped a game in which it was never truly able to overcome its rough start. It now returns home to close out the regular season with a crucial two-game stretch. 

“We want to be like those McDonald’s French Fries,” Moore said. “No matter where you are in the world, you know what you’re gonna get. … We gotta be able to step up and play better.”

NC State returns home to Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 28, to take on the Syracuse Orange. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network Extra.