Over the weekend, the NC State’s women’s basketball team faced the Tennessee State Tigers and the Coppin State Eagles to kick off the season. In its season opener on Friday, the Pack dominated the Tigers, 84-55.
To start the first half, the Pack gave up a quick five points to the Tigers. NC State, though, was able to rebound and take a 7-5 lead, then never looked back. The Pack ended the half with a 44-26 lead and shot 56 percent from the field, a whopping 20 percent improvement from the first half of exhibition game. However, the Pack didn’t shoot nearly as well in the second half, as the field goal percentage dropped to 44.8 percent.
The Pack had particularly big performances from redshirt sophomore guard Dominique Wilson and sophomore forward Jennifer Mathurin. Despite fouling out with more than eight minutes left in the game, Mathurin put up 13 points on five field goals, three of which were from beyond the arc.
“I think I have a lot more poise and do a better job of not rushing my shots than I did last year,” Mathurin said. “I worked a lot on my shooting over the summer just to make sure I can hit the wide-open threes and other shots that I struggled with last year.”
Foul trouble plagued the Pack, as junior forward Carlee Schuhmacher and freshman forward Chelsea Nelson also fouled out, leaving the Pack shorthanded by the end of the game. Junior forward Ashley Eli was the only active forward not to foul out. Schuhmacher wasn’t as dynamic as she was in the exhibition game, as she recorded just two points and two rebounds. Nelson ended with eight points, two blocks and a game-high 10 rebounds.
“Obviously, we had a lot of foul trouble,” Head Coach Wes Moore said. “Normally I wouldn’t play somebody with two fouls in the first half, but I just felt like we had an opportunity to stretch the lead out so we let some kids stay out there. Our post is undersized and hurting in depth with freshman centers Sara Boric and Akela Maize still out, so it is important that we get better about foul trouble in the meantime.”
Wilson, who sat out last season after transferring from Arkansas, put up a game-high 20 points and added three rebounds, three assists, and four steals. She was also 5-10 from the field and made all nine of her free throw attempts.
“It felt great to finally get out there again,” Wilson said. “I was a little rusty in the exhibition game, but coach helped me out and I was able to work with my teammates and do really good.”
The Pack played very well defensively, creating 21 turnovers, garnering 17 steals and allowing the Tigers to convert on just 32.8 percent of their shots. However, the Pack had ball-security issues, turning it over 17 times while only racking up 14 assists.
“We have a lot of things we have to clean up,” Moore said. “We turned the ball over way too many times. We knew they were athletic and would get in the passing lanes, but we didn’t always do a very good job of accounting for that.”
Shots from beyond the arc were also a struggle for NC State. After starting off fast by making three of its first four three-point shots, the Pack finished just 5-21 from downtown.
“It’s a win, and we have a tough stretch right here, three games in five days, the last one being on the road,” Moore said. “So it’s going to be important that we bounce back quick.”
In Sunday’s matchup against the Eagles, the Pack overcame a slow start to thrash them, 81-61.
The Pack trailed for much of the first half, but took the lead with just under five minutes left in the first half, entering the break with a 37-33 lead. Shooting from the field once again plagued the Pack, making just one-third of its shots. However, free throw shooting was a bright spot, as the team shot 30-35 after making all of its first 19 free throws, which tied the school record, per NC State Athletics.
The Pack had particularly strong performances from sophomore guard Miah Spencer and junior forward Carlee Schuhmacher. Spencer ended the game with a career high 20 points and has proved the most consistent player for the Pack to start the season. Schuhmacher recorded the Pack’s first double-double of the season, recording 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Pack travels to UNC-Charlotte in hopes of continuing its early winning streak at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
