NC State
12-2,3-0ACC
Clemson
6-7,0-2ACC
#5 Wolfpack Takes Care of Tigers, 79-52
12/30/2021 9:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CLEMSON, S.C. – Playing in the second road game of its still-young 2021-22 ACC slate, the fifth-ranked NC State women's basketball team (12-2, 3-0 ACC) took a double-digit first half lead that it did not relinquish on its way to defeating Clemson (6-7, 0-2 ACC) by a 79-52 score.
With the victory, the Wolfpack is off to a 3-0 start to ACC play for the fourth season in a row and has won its last eight regular-season league games. NC State extended its current winning streak against Clemson to 13 games and picked up its seventh-straight road win over the Tigers.
Three Wolfpack players scored in double figures. Jada Boyd led the team in points (18) and rebounds (8) in her highest scoring output of her junior campaign. Diamond Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Madison Hayes scored 11 points for the most in her NC State career.
Raina Perez finished just shy of double figures in scoring with eight points, but the graduate guard dished out a season-high and team-leading eight assists on the night. She also tied her career high in steals with five.
NC State shot better than 60 percent in two of the game's four quarters and put together a 47.5 percent clip (29-of-61) for the game. The Wolfpack also shot 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from distance in the win.
Clemson entered the game leading the ACC in offensive rebounds per game, but the Wolfpack beat out the Tigers 16-11 in that category. NC State limited Clemson to just five second-chance points while scoring 15 of its own. The Wolfpack led by as much as 34 (including as late as 71-37 with 8:18 remaining) and only trailed for 19 seconds after Clemson scored the first bucket of the game.
NC State led by 13 points (40-27) at the half after maintaining an advantage of 10 or more for the majority of the second quarter. The team used a 12-2 first quarter-closing run to build up a double-digit lead after 10 minutes and only let the Tigers get within nine on one brief occasion in the second quarter.
The Wolfpack went on to outscore the Tigers 26-8 in the third quarter and limited them to 3-of-15 (.200) shooting in that period. NC State, meanwhile, shot a blistering 10-of-12 (.833) in the third quarter for its best single-quarter shooting percentage of the season. The squad scored 12 unanswered to end the period and did not let Clemson closer than 27 in the fourth quarter.
NC State returns home on Thursday, Jan. 6 to host No. 24 North Carolina, with that game set for an 8 p.m. tip on the ACC Network. Limited tickets for the ranked rivalry matchup remain at GoPack.com/BuyTickets.
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