Last season, NC State women’s basketball beat Duke by a combined 39 points in two matchups and swept the season series.
What a difference a year makes.
The Wolfpack (18-10, 8-9 ACC) hung tight in the first half, but the Blue Devils (24-4, 14-3 ACC), pulled away in the second, outscoring the Pack 44-32 behind a game-high 21 points from Celeste Taylor to complete the regular-season sweep with a 77-62 Duke victory.
For a team down its best player in junior guard Diamond Johnson for the second straight game, NC State gave the ACC’s top dog a run for its money through the first 20 minutes and even into the second. Midway through the third quarter things changed drastically when Duke went on a 10-0 run to take its largest lead at 13.
The lead grew as large as 17, and the Pack only got as close as nine the rest of the way. After only scoring five in the first half, Taylor dominated in the second, scoring 16 and crushing any chance NC State had of making a comeback, much like she did in the first matchup between the two teams in December.
“[Duke] did a good job of getting to the rim and getting to the offensive board,” said head coach Wes Moore. “They did what they needed to do — starts with them on the defensive end. … They’re committed to defending, and tonight we didn’t defend very well, so that really makes for a bad combination.”
Senior forward Jada Boyd was the Pack’s most reliable option in this one, scoring a team-high 19 points, including an impressive 9-10 from the free throw line. Senior wing Jakia Brown-Turner also finished in double figures with 12, and sophomore guard Saniya Rivers’ 11 points, rounded out NC State’s double-digit performances.
In addition to winning the final scoring margin, Duke dominated the battle of the boards 43-24, including a 16-4 differential on the offensive glass. That stat epitomized the physicality with which the Blue Devils played compared to NC State.
“They’re long and athletic — they’re committed to going and getting rebounds,” Moore said. “We did a pretty good job on the boards at our place. Transition killed us at our place — I think we gave up 24 fast-break points. I don’t think they got a lot off offensive boards, so they probably came in trying to commit to that.”
With less than one week until the start of the ACC Tournament, one can’t help but recognize the stark contrast between the two programs from this year to last.
In the 2021-22 season, NC State was the class of the ACC and one of the top teams in the country, finishing first in the conference, while Duke came in 10th at the end of the year. This year, Duke is first, and NC State finds itself sitting in ninth.
Perhaps what most symbolizes the role reversal between the two teams is the score of last year’s game in Cameron Indoor Stadium, 77-62, the exact score of the most recent rendition but in reverse.
NC State has one game left in the regular season, a Senior Day contest in Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 26 against Pitt. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
After that, the Pack begins preparation for the ACC Tournament next week in Greensboro.
