With football on a bye week, basketball took center stage this week in the world of NC State athletics. Women’s basketball had a high-stakes matchup at TCU, while men’s basketball remained undefeated.
Additionally, women’s cross country showed out in the postseason, wrestling continued its hot start and volleyball bounced back to snap a three-game losing streak.
Women’s basketball
With the college basketball world watching, NC State women’s basketball hit the court in Dallas for a Sunday matinee against TCU. The Horned Frogs torched the Pack in the paint, taking advantage of NC State’s struggles at center. Nevertheless, senior guard Aziaha James did everything possible to keep the red-and-white alive with 27 points. Ultimately, TCU survived for a 76-73 win over NC State.
Earlier in the week, the Wolfpack defeated Kent State 79-51. James led the Pack with 20 points as she continues to establish herself as one of the best scorers in the country. During the second quarter, James broke 1000 career points, highlighting her on-court excellence both this season and throughout her entire career.
Read about NC State’s upset loss here and its blowout win here.
Men’s basketball
NC State men’s basketball improved to 3-0 this week, defeating Coastal Carolina 82-70 in a midweek matchup. Despite failing to make a single three-pointer, the Wolfpack led wire-to-wire and secured the win. While the Pack must shoot better moving forward, the team showed it can battle adversity and win by forcing turnovers and scoring in transition.
Senior guard Jayden Taylor enjoyed another strong performance, racking up 22 points against the Chanticleers. With his experience and talent, Taylor appears to be next in line for the Pack’s go-to scoring option this year. Taylor is especially effective when driving to the basket and showcased that against Coastal Carolina.
Read about Taylor’s standout performance here.
Cross country
As it typically does, NC State women’s cross country showed out. Competing in the Southeast Regional in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the Wolfpack women’s team took first place — the team’s eighth straight first-place finish in the event. Junior Grace Hartman won a thrilling race for first place with a time of 20:04.2. Following Hartman, all seven runners on the women’s squad finished in the top 50, including a third-place finish for junior Hannah Gapes.
On the men’s side, the Wolfpack took seventh place. Graduate Brett Gardner was by far the Pack’s best performer, finishing in seventh place with a time of 30:06.6. The Wolfpack did not finish high enough to qualify for an automatic bid for nationals and was not selected for an at-large bid, concluding the men’s team’s season.
Read about NC State’s ups-and-downs here.
Wrestling
Wolfpack wrestling remained undefeated with a strong weekend. In its home opener, the Wolfpack crushed App State 34-12. With the win, the Wolfpack continued its unbeaten streak against the Mountaineers in the lopsided, in-state series.
The Pack then traveled north for a pair of matches against Princeton and No. 17 Rutgers. The Pack swept both dual meets, winning each by at least nine points. Freshman Vince Robinson is quickly breaking out for the red-and-white after winning two bouts in the 125-pound class, including a top-ten win.
Read about NC State’s home victory here and its ranked away victory here.
Volleyball
NC State volleyball faced in-state rival Wake Forest twice this week, winning both matchups. In the first meeting of the week, the Wolfpack hosted the Demon Deacons in Reynolds Coliseum. The result was a 3-0 sweep, emphatically snapping a dangerous three-game losing streak.
On the road, the Wolfpack found itself in a much tougher match. With its postseason hopes potentially on the line, NC State gutted out a 3-2 win. Throughout the match, NC State played sloppy with over 40 attacking and service errors — much more than its 23 errors in the first game of the week. Still, the Pack walked away victorious and rebounded well this week.
Read about NC State’s sweeping home victory here and its nail-biting away victory here.
