NC State women’s basketball had no problem taking care of business against Clemson — the Pack cruised to a 71-49 victory and outscored the Tigers by eight points in three out of four quarters. Senior guard Madison Hayes led the offensive charge for the Wolfpack and nearly recorded a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds.
Even though Clemson (8-12, 1-7 ACC) landed the first punch, the Pack (16-2, 4-2 ACC) got off to a hot start and proceeded to go on a 13-0 scoring run after the Tigers’ initial score. The red-and-white maintained its lead for the remainder of the game — the visitors entered the locker room up 43-23 after the second quarter and never let Clemson get closer than 12 points in the second half.
After its impressive run at the start of the first quarter, the Wolfpack eased off the gas, at one point allowing Tigers to make it a one possession game at 18-15. However, a strong defensive effort by the red-and-white held Clemson scoreless for the last three minutes of the first frame.
The Pack took over in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 20-8 in the frame and taking a 20-point lead at halftime. Graduate forward Mimi Collins led NC State’s offensive effort in the second, scoring nine of her 14 points on 4-5 shooting in the second.
However, despite its strong showing in the second, the red-and-white stumbled in the third, scoring just 12 points to Clemson’s 18 and shooting 5-15 in the frame. This time, it was Hayes who carried the Pack through — her energy and aggression led her to accumulate seven points and, more importantly, kept the team’s momentum moving when it began to slow down. Hayes kept up her scoring effort in the fourth, totaling eight points on 4-4 shooting in addition to grabbing three rebounds.
Besides Hayes, only two other NC State athletes scored in the double figures — an unusual occurrence. Graduate forward Mimi Collins scored 14 points and junior guard Saniya Rivers poured in 13 points. Meanwhile — just days after scoring a career-high 33 points in the Pack’s win over Duke — junior guard Aziaha James went cold, scoring seven points in 30 minutes of playing time on 3-17 shooting the included 0-5 from beyond the arc.
Over the course of the game, the Pack out-rebounded Clemson 43-30 and recorded 19 assists to the hosts’ nine. However, the red-and-white’s season-low 45.5% from the free throw line could definitely be improved upon, as well as its inconsistent shooting from beyond the arc.
Although the Tigers rank far below NC State in the ACC standings, this win can serve as an important confidence boost for the Pack because it proved that the red-and-white can dominate on opposing courts after its losses to Miami and Virginia Tech in its last two road games.
In its next test, the Pack will take on Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts on Sunday, Jan. 28 before returning to Raleigh to face UNC-Chapel Hill next week. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
