NC State
11-1,1-0ACC
Clemson
8-4,0-1ACC
Pack Tames Tigers, Opens ACC Play With 77-59 Win Over Clemson
12/18/2022 8:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH – The eighth-ranked NC State women's basketball team opened ACC play and improved to 11-1 on Sunday evening with a 77-59 victory over visiting Clemson (8-4).
Madison Hayes led the way for the Pack with a career-high 20 points, while Mimi Collins and Jakia Brown-Turner finished with 16 points and 10 points, respectively. Additionally, Collins tied her season high of nine rebounds on the boards, which was matched by Saniya Rivers.
Rivers' nine rebounds marked a career best while she passed out a game-high five assists, which tied her career high.
The win was the team's 12th in a row against an ACC opponent and was the Pack's 18th straight in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack has won its last 14 games against the Tigers dating back to Jan. 6, 2011, and Wes Moore continues to sit at a perfect 10-0 against Clemson as the head coach at NC State.
After giving up 28 points in the first quarter, NC State held Clemson to just 31 points for the remainder of the outing. The Pack limited the Tigers to 2-of-13 (.154) in the second quarter and 2-of-15 (.338) in the fourth quarter to ultimately close out a double-digit win.
A high-scoring first quarter was highlighted by Collins tallying nine points, complimented by two rebounds and two assists. A 10-2 run from Clemson over the final two minutes of the quarter resulted in the Tigers ending the frame with a 28-22 lead.
After trailing for over eight minutes of action, NC State knotted the score at 33-33 with 3:32 remaining in the second quarter after Aziaha James added her first points of the night on a corner three. One possession later, Camille Hobby gave the Pack its first lead since 20-18 with a kiss off the glass from the low post to move ahead 35-33.
Hobby's basket was part of a 14-1 run that closed the half for NC State, sending the two squads into the locker room with the Pack holding a 42-34 edge.
NC State's final 12 points of the second quarter came from Hobby and James, with James drilling the final basket of the period on another corner three and Hobby knocking down two free throws after back-to-back jumpers earlier in the frame.
Much improved from the opening ten minutes, the Pack's offense limited itself to just one turnover against Clemson's press in the second quarter. Defensively, NC State held Clemson scoreless from the field over the final 5:39 of the opening half.
Despite a tightly-contested third period, the Pack swung momentum heading to the fourth as Brown-Turner beat the buzzer with a three pointer to push NC State's lead to 59-53.
The Pack then jumped out to an 11-point lead in the opening minute of the final period after Hayes kicked off the frame with a layup and a triple to force Clemson into a timeout.
NC State limited the Tigers to just six points in the fourth quarter, including forcing Clemson into a 6:36 scoring drought while the Tigers simultaneously went the final 7:30 of play without making a shot from the field. In the closing minutes, it was Hayes who iced the game for the Pack, scoring seven of NC State's final 11 points and 12 of the team's final 21.
Following a break for the holidays, NC State will continue its home stretch when it hosts Duke on Dec. 29. Tip-off from Reynolds Coliseum is set for 8 p.m. on the ACC Network, and the game is already sold out. Fans who are interested in purchasing tickets may do so on StubHub, the official fan-to-fan marketplace of the Wolfpack.
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