Deadly accuracy from beyond the arc by sophomore guard Ashley Williams helped the NC State women’s basketball team defeat Wake Forest 71-55 on Sunday, bringing the Pack to an all-time 66-12 record between the two schools.
Both teams were off to a slow start in the opening minutes, until NC State’s (13-10, 4-6 ACC) sophomore guard Miah Spencer scored first as the shot clock dwindled down. The struggle for points continued early in the first half, but slowly started to heat up as lineup changes were made.
Williams shifted the game’s momentum in State’s favor with her consistent three-point shooting, draining six shots from beyond the arc in the first half.
“Ashley Williams really gave us a boost and I think that was critical for us to get off to a good start and have the lead at half-time,” head coach Wes Moore said. “The team did a great job recognizing she was hot and getting the ball to her.”
Williams was 6-9 in three-point attempts, while the rest of the team struggled at 1-10 from downtown. The Cary native led her team in scoring throughout the night with 21 points.
“It was good to be back at home. We always shoot better at home and when I made a few shots it definitely sparked some confidence,” Williams said. “It was a lot of fun and it’s been a while since I felt like we had a lot of fun playing together.”
The Wolfpack as a whole also found it difficult to score in the paint throughout the first. Wake Forest (10-15, 1-9 ACC) found more success down low, scoring 16 points to NC State’s 8.
Second-chance points were a crucial advantage for the Wolfpack in the first half. NC State finished the half with 17 rebounds and 13 second-chance points. Although the game was back and forth, the lead never switched to the Deacons.
Each team had eight personal fouls, but NC State was the only team able to capitalize on their shots from the line. The Wolfpack had 100 percent free throw shooting in the first half of the game, while Wake Forest shot only 50 percent. NC State is currently the best free throw shooting team in the ACC.
With less than 30 seconds left in the half, NC State lost junior forward Ashley Eli to a leg injury, but held on to a 37-28 lead going into the break.
In the second half, the Wolfpack continued to play steady defense and increase their lead, as more players began to consistently make shots. Redshirt sophomore guard Dominique Wilson began to hit her stride as she became NC State’s second leading scorer with 17 points.
“In the second half I just calmed down a little bit,” Wilson said. “I talked to coach Hill about my shooting technique, he told me what I needed to do and I focused on that in the second half.”
Team fouls also picked up in the second half and NC State’s sophomore forward Jennifer Mathurin fouled out with eight minutes left to play. Mathurin had three points and three defensive rebounds for the Pack before leaving the game.
With less than seven minutes to go, Wake Forest started to push a full court press, but NC State was able to adjust and get the ball across the court. Wilson, redshirt senior guard Len’Nique Brown-Hoskin and Spencer were key players in clearing the ball and creating chances for the Pack to score.
As Williams and Wilson led the team on the scoring front, Brown-Hoskin also contributed with 12 points, and led the team with 4 assists in her 33 minutes of play. Junior center Carlee Schumacher was essential on defense with 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.
“It’s a little more of a grind when you get a stretch where things aren’t going right. I talked to them before the game about appreciating what we have. We still have a lot to be excited about and positive about,” Moore said. “We know we have some challenges, but it’s nice to get a win today and we’ll enjoy that for a few hours and then get ready for the next one.”
The Wolfpack will travel to Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday to face Georgia Tech.
