Emily Peedin
Sophomore guard Saniya Rivers sprints down the court during the game against Duke in Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022. Rivers led the team in rebounds and points scored, making seven rebounds and scoring 17 points for the Wolfpack. NC State suffered a loss to Duke 72-58.
The No. 6 NC State women’s basketball team squeezed the Syracuse Orange in a 56-54 victory in New York. After losing to Duke at home in its last outing, the Pack earned its 12th win of the season with a fourth-quarter comeback.
The Wolfpack (12-2, 2-1 ACC) won its only game this season against Syracuse (10-4, 1-2 ACC) in a short one-game road trip after a four-game homestand.
Neither team did well offensively as the red-and-white only made a third of its shots. Unlike the Pack’s usual performance, the team only went 2-17 from beyond the arc. The 56-point performance is the lowest of the season for NC State, who only scored two more in its 72-58 loss against Duke.
The Pack ended the first quarter with a 22-15 lead and later carried an eight-point lead into halftime. The Orange adjusted its gameplan at the break, scoring 23 points and only allowing six points from the Wolfpack in the third. NC State had a good combination of layup attempts, mid-range shots and 3-pointers, but could not cash in the vast majority of them.
Down 49-40 after the dismal third quarter, the Pack got its defense together and closed the gap in the fourth, allowing just five points while scoring 16. With the Pack up 55-54 in the final seconds, the Orange threw in a pass that, had it connected, would have set up a wide-open layup attempt. Instead, the pass was too far, and NC State ran the clock out and cashed in on a free throw to finally win the close contest 56-54.
Senior center Camille Hobby had the most points for the Pack with 12 and also recorded six rebounds. While the Wolfpack’s final score was low, eight players contributed to the squad’s 56 total points, including sophomore guard Saniya Rivers and graduate center River Baldwin, who each scored nine.
NC State will return home once again for a two-game stretch against Boston College and Virginia. Tip-off against the Eagles is set for Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.