Vibhavari Vempala
The NC State women's basketball team took home their second ACC win of the season Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10, soundly defeating Clemson 76-50. Sophomore guard Miah Spencer tied her career-high scoring record with 25 points, shooting 67% from the field. The Pack returns to Reynolds Coliseum Jan. 22 to face rival No.8 UNC-Chapel Hill.
Just days after a 73-59 win in its ACC home opener against Virginia Tech, the NC State women’s basketball team returned to action Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum and dominated Clemson 76-50.
The Pack (11-5, 2-1 ACC) once again got off to a fast start, going up 12-7 behind six points from junior forward/center Carlee Schuhmacher. Early on, the Tigers (9-8, 1-3 ACC) full-court pressed the Pack, which at times made it difficult, but the Pack exploited the holes in the defense and used it to its advantage.
The Wolfpack continued to dominate the game’s opening stages, going up 22-9 just nine minutes into the game.
NC State’s shooters were on fire from beyond the arc, going 4-of-6 with three pointers from four different players, and halfway through the first half, six different Pack players put points on the board.
With the full-court press tactic clearly not working for the Tigers, they were forced to go back to half court, man-to-man defense to try to slow down the driving Wolfpack.
As the half progressed, the Pack continued to capitalize on its lead, improving to 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and shooting 12-of-20 from the field en route to a 32-14 lead. The Pack closed the half on a 13-6 run to expand the lead to 45-20 at the midway point of the game.
As a team, NC State played lights out on both sides of the ball, shooting 57.1 percent from the field, including 8-of-12 from three-point range, while holding the Tigers to just 29 percent from the field, a team that has a respectable 40.3 field-goal percentage on the season.
“We shot the ball really well in the first half,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said. “We won the rebound battle, and defensively, we did a great job of recognizing players’ strengths and really playing the scout out, approaching the game from an individual defensive stand point, and we had a good defensive team effort.”
Sophomore guard Miah Spencer led the Pack with 12 points on 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and added six rebounds and four assists at the end of the half. Schuhmacher followed close behind with 11 points on 4-of-5 from the field, including a three pointer and two rebounds.
“Confidence is big, and I’ve had a lot more confidence ever since Christmas break,” Schuhmacher said. “I’m just getting more comfortable at this level. I’ve been working a lot in practice, being patient and it has really helped a lot.”
After a red-hot first half, the Pack cooled off in the second, as it shot at just 28.6 percent from the field to maintain a 57-41 lead with ten minutes remaining in the game.
However, NC State picked up the pace after five straight points from Spencer, giving her over 500 points on her career and giving the Pack a 62-41 lead. This made her the third active Pack player with over 500 points, joining senior guards Krystal Barrett and Len’Nique Brown-Hoskin.
“It came up fast; I thought I had 400 just two days ago,” Spencer said. “I feel like it’s nothing without my teammates and my coaches. They push me so hard in practice. I really appreciate everyone’s support and everyone pushing me every day.”
For the remainder of the game, the Pack didn’t allow its lead to fall under 18 points. As a team, NC State finished 25-of-57 and 10-of-22 beyond the arc, while holding the Tigers to 21-of-64 from the field and 4-of-23 from beyond the arc.
In addition to passing the 500 career point milestone, Spencer posted a career-high 25 points on 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and added eight rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
Schuhmacher put up 18 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Jennifer Mathurin finished the game with seven points and 10 rebounds.
“We’re a little bit depleted numbers wise with Krystal Barrett and Chloe Jackson out, but our goal has always been to make the NCAA Tournament,” Moore said. “Every game is going to be critical, and one game could be the difference maker, and one possession in that one game could be the difference between winning and losing. We’ve really got to stay focused and prepare every night to take advantage of whatever opportunities come our way.”
The Pack looks to continue its winning streak as it travels to face a formidable No. 6 Louisville team Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.