NC State women’s basketball advanced to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina with an 83-58 win over the 9-seed Syracuse Orange. After shaking off some postseason nerves, the 8-seed Pack ran away with the contest in the second half to secure the victory.
When the two teams met during the regular season, the Wolfpack (20-10, 9-9 ACC) bested the Orange (18-12, 9-9 ACC) by just two points, 56-54. Understandably, many fans expected a tight contest when the two teams met again, but that was clearly not the case.
It wasn’t smooth sailing from the start — the red-and-white turned over the ball twice and let up six points before scoring any — but once NC State got into a good offensive rhythm and figured out how to manipulate Syracuse’s defense, there was little the Orange could do.
Senior forward Jada Boyd led the offensive charge in the first quarter, aggressively attacking Syracuse’s zone defense to create opportunities for herself at the rim or drawing the double team to dish to her teammates. The rest of the team soon followed suit, penetrating the defense and making smart passes to score easy baskets in the paint.
Graduate center River Baldwin was particularly good at exposing cracks in Syracuse’s defense; time and time again, she cut to the open spot for an easy bucket. Early on in the second quarter, Baldwin already had 10 points.
Defensively, the Wolfpack initially struggled to prevent the Orange’s shifty guards from driving the lane. However, once the red-and-white began hedging on-ball screens, Syracuse’s offensive production became severely limited. At the half, NC State led 32-26.
After the break, the Pack continued to build upon its first-half success. NC State is rarely regarded as a selfish team, but during today’s game it was crystal clear that each player’s willingness to make the extra pass and create the best possible shot was the reason the red-and-white was able to run away with this game so effortlessly. The Wolfpack took its first double-digit lead of the game with just under seven minutes to play in the third.
The Pack continued its dominance in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Orange 28-14 to secure a 25-point margin of victory. Over the course of the contest, the Wolfpack scored a season-high 54 points in the paint, blowing Syracuse’s measly 24 out of the water.
Baldwin and senior center Camille Hobby combined for 30 points, accounting for the majority of NC State’s points inside. That’s not to understate the outstanding guard play from the red-and-white, totaling 19 assists to Syracuse’s eight.
The Pack will play its next game against the No. 1 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday, March 3. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
