NC State women’s basketball traveled to Tallahassee, Florida to challenge the Florida State Seminoles in ACC play on Thursday, Jan. 12. The Seminoles dictated the game from start to finish, effectively exposing the No. 11 Wolfpack’s defensive weaknesses and ultimately handing the red-and-white a devastating 91-72 loss.

From the starting possession, the Noles (16-3, 5-1 ACC) found a rapid-fire offensive rhythm, quickly leaving NC State (13-4, 3-3 ACC) in the dust. FSU jumped out to a 14-5 lead within the first four minutes of play, taking advantage of a flat-footed Wolfpack defense that seemed content to allow the Seminoles to drive right through the center of the paint.

Clearly frustrated by the Pack’s lack of energy, head coach Wes Moore elected to bench four of his five starters for the last five minutes of the first quarter. However, the players coming off the bench were not as effective in putting defensive pressure on Florida State as Moore had probably hoped, as the Wolfpack let up a total of 28 points after just one quarter.

In the second quarter, Moore opted for a zone defense in an attempt to prevent the Seminoles from penetrating the lane. This approach was somewhat effective in curbing FSU’s momentum, allowing the red-and-white to cut the lead to just three points, 34-31, off of a three-point play by junior guard Diamond Johnson with two minutes to go in the half.

Despite improved play from the Wolfpack on both ends of the floor, the Noles closed out the half with two 3-point shots to send the Pack into the locker room down by 10, 43-33.

The second half was no better for an NC State team that already has a reputation for coming out flat after half time. On the opening possession, senior forward Jada Boyd exited the game with an injury and did not return to the floor for the rest of the night. Florida State then went on to outscore the red-and-white 11-0 to open up the half.

The Pack had no answer for a Seminoles team that seemed to be firing on all cylinders, particularly freshman guard Ta’niya Latson, who scored 26 points in three quarters and 31 points over the course of the game. Time and time again, Latson proved able to attack a sluggish NC State defense for easy points in the paint.

Once again, Moore benched his starting squad midway through the quarter after it failed to establish any sort of momentum. The bench players managed to outscore the Seminoles 16-9, but by the time the third quarter ended, Florida State had doubled its 10-point lead, 74-54.

The fourth quarter was more of the same: an aggressive and energetic FSU squad continued to outwork the red-and-white in all aspects of the game. To the Pack’s credit, the team went on an 8-0 run to cut the Seminoles’ lead to 16 points, 78-62, early in the quarter, but it was simply too little, too late for the visitors.

NC State will look to rebound from this loss on Sunday, Jan. 15 when it faces off against the No. 22 UNC Tar Heels in a highly anticipated rivalry match-up. Tip-off is set for 3:30pm.