NC State
5-0,0-0ACC
Kentucky
2-3,0-0SEC
NC State Women’s Hoops Cruises Past Kentucky 84-55 in Paradise Jam Opener
11/23/2023 5:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – No. 10 NC State women's basketball (5-0) led by double figures for almost the entirety of its 2023 Paradise Jam opener as it dominated Kentucky (2-3) by an 84-55 score on Thursday afternoon.
The Wildcats scored the first bucket of the game, but the Wolfpack rallied off 15 unanswered points from there to establish a comfortable lead early that it never relinquished. NC State led by as many as 42 points (76-34 after three quarters).
Madison Hayes led four Wolfpack double-figure scorers with 15 points, shooting 5-of-6 overall and 3-of-4 from distance in the contest. Saniya Rivers added 13 points to go with her team-leading three steals, and River Baldwin (11 points) and Mimi Collins (10 points) also saw productive nights from the tip.
NC State's 54.8 percent shooting mark (34-of-62) was its highest percentage of the still-early season, and the Pack once again assisted on over half of its made buckets with 19 on the day. Aziaha James and Zoe Brooks each dished out five apiece, and James also led the Pack's dominant effort on the boards (45-28) with eight.
The Pack's newcomers also got valuable playing time with Mallory Collier (6 points) and Lizzy Williamson (4 points) setting new best marks in their NC State careers and Katie Peneueta making her Wolfpack debut. Brooks, Maddie Cox and Laci Steele also each posted six points apiece in a game that had all 12 Pack players see the court and 10 find the scoring column.
NC State hung 31 points on Kentucky in the first quarter and 55 points in the first half alone, its highest such mark in a 20-minute span of any of its five games this season. The Pack's 31-point advantage (55-24) at the break also beat out its previous season-best halftime lead. NC State shot 22-of-38 (.579) in the opening half alone and hit seven of its last eight field goal attempts of the second quarter to build up the comfortable lead.
NC State turns its attention to its second of three Paradise Jam games as it takes on Cincinnati on Friday. Tip-off in the first-ever meeting between the Wolfpack and the Bearcats is set for 3:15 p.m. EST (4:15 p.m. local time), and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
