NC State women’s basketball hosted Catawba in an exhibition to gear up for its 2023-34 regular season. From the jump, the Pack played like the superior team and ran away with a 101-58 victory.
On a team filled with new additions, it was the returning players that starred. Senior guard Madison Hayes stole the show early, tallying 13 first quarter points on 4-4 shooting, including a pair of threes. By the end of the night, Hayes had 23 points and 6 boards — a promising start for the veteran guard.
Not to be outdone, junior guard Aziaha James posted 23 points herself off of 9-15 shooting. James was on fire in the 3rd quarter, recording 15 points. She looked especially comfortable finishing at the basket on fast breaks and her offensive production will be key to the red-and-white having a strong season.
Junior guard Saniya Rivers also showed out, recording 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Rivers played like a star on both ends of the court, turning defense into offense.
Among the newcomers, freshman guard Zoe Brooks played the best, often making plays for her teammates. The freshman posted 13 points, six rebounds and, most importantly, seven assists — the only Wolfpack player with more than two assists. Brooks also led the team in steals with four, showcasing her defensive prowess.
As a team, the Pack did its best work in transition, outscoring Catawba 35-2 in fast break points. Winning the turnover battle was a key factor in this large disparity, and NC State finished plus-12 in turnover margin. Based on tonight’s showing, it appears that the Wolfpack will look to play fast this season to force its opposition into mistakes.
“The first quarter I think we scored 31 points,” said head coach Wes Moore. “A lot of that was from transition basketball and getting out and running.”
The Wolfpack also held a 52-39 rebounding edge. Even more impressive was the fact the NC State racked up 21 offensive boards that resulted in 18 second-chance points.
While there were plenty of positives in the blowout win, there was a concerning trend for the red-and-white — 3-point shooting. NC State went 3-22 from behind the arc. While Hayes looked confident shooting triples, the rest of the team couldn’t find its rhythm. For the Pack to reach its potential, it’ll have to shoot better than 13.6% from deep.
The Wolfpack will tip off its season on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Reynolds Coliseum against UNC-Charlotte. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and can be found on the ACC Network.
