The NC State women’s basketball team played host to Clemson Sunday afternoon in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack, which recently came off a brutal stretch of playing five ranked ACC opponents in its last six games, battled through cold shooting to defeat the Tigers, 65-53.
The No. 21 Wolfpack (15-5, 5-2 ACC) outscored the Tigers (11-9, 0-7 ACC) in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Four of NC State’s starting five reached double-digits, with redshirt senior Dominique Wilson leading the way with 16 points. The Tigers came close to getting their first ACC win since the 2014-15 season, but a 9-0 run by the Pack in the fourth relinquished the Clemson upset bid.
Head coach Wes Moore stressed the importance of showing up with the same mindset every game, regardless of whether it’s a ranked opponent.
“I think it proves a point that we got to make sure that we’re ready to play every day,” Moore said. “We can’t just roll out there and throw our NC State jersey out there and win; we got to work for it.”
The first quarter was categorized by hot shooting from beyond the arc, with both sides hitting dueling threes in the first five minutes.
The second quarter was a stark contrast to the first, in which both teams failed to hit a three. Where NC State fell behind, however, Clemson stepped up. The Tigers went 6 of 10 from the field in the second behind six points from Jaia Alexander. The Wolfpack went cold in the second, shooting a dismal 2 of 10.
Turnovers ended up being the evening factor in the first half. While Clemson nearly doubled NC State’s field goal percentage, 54.5 to 28.0 percent, the Tigers committed 11 turnovers to the Wolfpack’s six.
State was also able to capitalize from the free-throw line in the first half, shooting an impressive 11 of 14 from the charity stripe. This was highlighted by senior Jennifer Mathurin, who knocked down six of her eight free-throw attempts.
NC State entered the half with a slim 28-26 lead over Clemson. The 28 first half points were the Pack’s second fewest in ACC play this season.
The shooting woes for the Wolfpack were eased a bit in the third quarter, as State went 4 of 10 from the field to hold its lead, 47-45. The Pack also found success in utilizing a full-court press in the third quarter, as Clemson went on a three-minute scoring drought toward the end of the period against the State pressure.
“[We were] just trying to get more energy,” Moore said. “I just felt like we were a little lethargic, so let’s extend our defense, see if we can get a turnover and maybe generate some offense off of our defense.”
The Pack caught fire early in the fourth quarter. After allowing Clemson to tie the game at 47, State went on a 9-0 run to open up a lead, 56-47. The Pack shot 3 of 6 from the field during the run, including a big 3-pointer from Mathurin.
“We were just telling each other that we have to pick it up,” senior Miah Spencer said. “I really feel like our intensity was better than the first three quarters in the last eight minutes or so.”
State continued to grow its lead and press the Tigers, as the game came to an end with the Wolfpack on top, 65-53. State finished the fourth quarter shooting 5 of 12 for a shooting percentage of 41.7, much better than its 34.0 percent for the game.
While Moore wasn’t particularly pleased with the conditions of the win, he stressed the significance of getting another positive result in conference play.
“As a coach, I got to do a better job of making sure they understand this game counts just the same as playing a top five team in the country,” Moore said. “When you’re talking about ACC league games and standings, they all matter.”
The Pack will be back in action Thursday night when it hosts Pittsburgh in Reynolds Coliseum.
Redshirt senior guard Dominique Wilson drives the ball down the court in the Wolfpack's 65-53 win over Clemson on Jan 22. Wilson made three of 12 shots from the field and 16 total points in the win at Reynolds Coliseum.
