The NC State women’s basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak with a 51-42 victory in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest in a low-scoring contest. This game marks the second-lowest point total for NC State, the lowest being at North Carolina.
The No. 22 Wolfpack (17-7, 7-6 ACC) had dropped its last two games before playing the Demon Deacons (14-11, 5-9 ACC), who currently rank last in the ACC in points per game.
The Pack and the Deacs started off neck and neck, ending the first quarter in single digits tied at nine. NC State then outscored Wake 14-13 in the second quarter, those 13 points being the most the Pack would give up in a quarter in the game.
Up by one, the Pack started a 9-2 run quickly in the third quarter to gain an advantage over the Deacs. Before the end of the quarter, the Deacs scored five unanswered points to bring the tally to 38-32. The Wolfpack would lead by as much as 11 points but settled for a nine-point final margin.
Unfortunately, the Pack’s offense did not perform well as it failed to make a single 3-pointer. Junior guard Diamond Johnson, one of the Pack’s prominent scorers, only went 3-10 from the field and missed all five of her 3-point attempts. Her six-point game is her lowest total of the past five games, but she made it up with four steals, staying shifty at the point.
Another anomaly for the Wolfpack was its two total assists as an entire team. The team averages over 13 per game, so much of the lack of production could be attributed to few passes. The Pack also averages around 73 points per game, making this game undoubtedly an outlier for the Wolfpack offense.
The leading scorer on the day was sophomore guard Saniya Rivers with 12 in just her sixth start of the season. She was the only Pack member to finish in double digits, but the team did have seven members score total.
Senior center Camille Hobby had a very productive game on the floor, scoring nine points, grabbing six total rebounds, and even forcing a few turnovers. Senior forward Jada Boyd also had nine points, seven of which came from the free throw line.
NC State will next travel to take on Virginia for the latter half of the two-game road stretch. The Pack’s next home game will be one of the biggest of the year as it will host No. 14 UNC in Reynolds Coliseum.
