Outside of senior forward Jada Boyd, NC State women’s basketball’s offense failed to get much going in yet another disappointing loss, this time by a score of 71-59 at the hands of Virginia.

The Wolfpack’s (17-8, 7-7 ACC) largest lead of the day was a two-point advantage halfway through the first quarter, but the Cavaliers (15-11, 4-11 ACC) used a strong third quarter and led by as many as 18 to take full control of the final minutes.

NC State met Virgina for the first time this season back in early January — a game in which the Pack easily took care of business, winning by 25 points and shooting 57.4% from the field. The team has struggled to consistently win games since then, going 4-5. The red-and-white has also decreased its scoring output, failing to meet the 87-point mark it achieved in its last outing against the Cavaliers in any of its following games.

Despite the unfavorable outcome, the No. 22 Pack held its own against an unranked Virginia team early in the contest thanks to seven points from Boyd and eight rebounds from sophomore guard Saniya Rivers through the first two quarters. Both women added to these numbers in the second half, with Boyd reaching 22 total points and Rivers pulling down 13 boards, but it wasn’t enough to make up for a lack of assists and poor shot selection.

Virginia must have done its homework on NC State — the Pack has come out of halftime sluggish all season, and the Cavaliers took advantage of its bad habit by opening up the third quarter on an 11-3 scoring run. In a neck-and-neck game, it seemed that once either team made an initial run, the pace and control of the game would lie in favor of the benefitting team for the rest of the contest.

Both teams struggled to make shots — NC State shot 29% from the field and Virginia finished at 46% after shooting 41% in the first half. Shots from distance were abysmal for both teams, but NC State’s 14% from deep was far worse than Virginia’s 29%.

Poor shooting percentage aside, the Pack was still able to put together the beginnings of a comeback in the fourth quarter. Led by junior guard Diamond Johnson and sophomore guard Aziaha James, NC State cut the Virginia lead down to seven with 7:50 left in the game after trailing by double digits for the majority of the second half. James and Johnson accounted for seven points and four assists in the fourth quarter, and while these numbers don’t necessarily jump off the stat sheet, they were crucial contributions in moments where the Wolfpack needed points the most.

Ultimately, NC State was unable to complete the comeback in a game where it was forced to play at its opponent’s pace for the last five minutes of regulation. Head coach Wes Moore will continue to look for answers with the NCAA and ACC tournaments rapidly approaching and a lineup that seems to get thinner and thinner as the months go on, losing both sophomore center Sophie Hart and sophomore guard Jessica Timmons by way of opt-outs during the season.

The Wolfpack heads back to Reynolds Coliseum for a rematch against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.