As the fall semester ended and NC State students headed home for break, the competition heated up for some of the student-athletes as multiple teams were in action. Here is a recap of what you may have missed while you were away.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team went 4-2 (3-1 ACC) while school was out, pulling off two major upsets over No. 2 Notre Dame at home and on the road at No. 6 Florida State. State also defeated South Alabama, but fell to Tulane and No. 14 Miami.
The 70-62 win over Notre Dame was arguably one of the greatest wins in program history, as the Pack handed the Fighting Irish just their second ACC loss since they joined the conference in 2013. Redshirt senior Dominique Wilson led the team with 18 points in the game, followed closely by senior Miah Spencer with 17. Senior Jennifer Mathurin also had a great game, posting a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Four days later the Pack pulled another huge upset, beating Florida State by a score of 70-61. Wilson was again the leading scorer with 19 points, but junior Chelsea Nelson stole the show. She had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while going an impressive 8 of 10 from the field.
The Wolfpack finished off the break with a 65-50 win against Wake Forest. Nelson had another dominant performance in the post, leading the team with 23 points on 8 of 12 from the field and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.
Men’s Basketball
The men’s basketball team went 5-2 (1-2 ACC) during break, moving to 12-3 (1-1 ACC) on the season. The Pack picked up four nonconference wins, beating Appalachian State, Fairfield, McNeese State and Rider at home in PNC Arena. State started up ACC play with a loss at Miami, before dominating No. 21 Virginia Tech at home, 104-78, for its first conference win.
The highlight for the Wolfpack was the performance of freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. against Virginia Tech. Smith had 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists en route to just the second triple-double in the history of NC State basketball and the first ever in ACC play. This performance was a continuation of dominance from Smith, who averaged 21.5 points per game and 8.8 assists per game during the six-game span.
The Pack also got significant contributions from redshirt senior guard Terry Henderson and junior forward Abdul-Malik Abu. Henderson averaged 14.7 PPG during the span, including a 25-point performance in the win over Fairfield. Abu put up 12.5 PPG and 8.2 rebounds per game during the winter break, including a double-double against both Rider and Virginia Tech.
NC State ended the break with an embarrassing 107-56 loss to archrival UNC-Chapel Hill, the second biggest loss in school history.
Wrestling
The wrestling team (4-1) captured a dual victory over Old Dominion, 25-13, and finished sixth as a team at the Midlands Classic in Evanston, Illinois over break. State finds itself at No. 10 in the national polls following the events.
The bright spot for the team during the break was the continued success of junior Kevin Jack. Jack won an individual title at the Midlands Classic, finishing a perfect 5-0 at the event. With a 16-0 tech fall victory in his bout against Old Dominion added to his performance in the Midlands Classic, Jack is now 20-1 on the season and has climbed up to No. 2 in the nation for the 141-pound weight class.
Football
The football team (7-6, 3-5 ACC) finished up its season with a commanding win over Vanderbilt in the Independence Bowl, 41-17. Junior Jaylen Samuels led the way for the Pack, racking up three receiving touchdowns, an Independence Bowl record. Samuels had 104 receiving yards to go along with his touchdowns.
The Pack defense also came up huge in the game, highlighted by five sacks. Junior Airius Moore led the way with two sacks, as well as leading the team with nine tackles. State’s defense also tallied three interceptions in the game.
In other football news, junior safety Josh Jones declared his intention to leave the program and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. Junior defensive end Bradley Chubb did the opposite, announcing he would be coming back to school for his senior season.
Freshman guard Dennis Smith Jr. outpaces the Virginia Tech defense. The Wolfpack dominated Virginia Tech on all sides of the ball in PNC Arena on Jan. 4, 2017 with a 104-78 win, the first ACC win over 100 points since 1991.
