No 22. NC State women’s basketball dominated Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, winning 72-42. Opening with a 10-0 run, the Wolfpack held the lead for the entire game as Louisville could only cut the lead to eight. The Pack led by as much as 35, holding a comfortable cushion for the entirety of the contest.
The Wolfpack (8-3, 1-0 ACC) shot 16-31 from the field in the first half, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range. On the other side, Louisville (6-5, 0-1 ACC) struggled mightily, shooting 8 of 35 from the field and 1 of 10 from 3. Despite recording similar numbers in rebounding, points in the paint and turnovers, the Cardinals simply shot the ball poorly, resulting in a 20-point deficit brick by brick.
The Pack could not maintain its shooting numbers in the second half as its percentage dropped to 37%, but shooting woes for the Cardinals persisted as they shot 25% from the field and 8% from deep. With nine steals and four blocks, the defensive effort by the Wolfpack prevented Louisville from getting anything going down low and forced the Cardinals into difficult shots.
In its last matchup against Davidson, the Wolfpack recorded just one assist and struggled to spread the ball with two players scoring 46 out of 59 points. Against Louisville, this became a clear emphasis from head coach Wes Moore as the Pack recorded 14 assists and four players recorded more than 10 points, indicating a true team effort. Furthermore, NC State’s bench scored 28 points compared to Louisville’s 13.
Coming off the bench, freshman guard Zamareya Jones put up a career-high 18 points with 16 in the first half. Jones shot 88% from the field and hit all three of her shots from beyond the arc. Despite her breakout first half, Jones did not take ill-advised shots and continued to make the extra pass when the opportunity presented itself.
Complementing the strong contribution from Jones, senior guards Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James continued to lead their team as they’ve done all season. Rivers recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. James, despite shooting 26% from the field and 13% from deep, made her presence known in other ways as she recorded five assists and nine rebounds.
Despite its struggles early this season, Louisville has been a consistent contender in the ACC. This road win could prove to be helpful in securing NC State a bid in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth year in a row.
The Wolfpack will next see action on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum as it faces off against JMU.
