NC State
13-4,5-1ACC
Pittsburgh
9-10,1-5ACC
Pack Picks Up 15th Straight Home Win vs. Pitt
1/16/2025 10:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women's basketball team took down Pitt 83-67 on Thursday night to earn its 15th straight home win and improve its record to 13-4, 5-1 in the ACC. NC State led for 37:40 and logged a season-high 13 3-pointers, shooting 52 percent from beyond the arc (13-of-25). The Pack had 20 assists, its second 20+ assist game of the season, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field.
Aziaha James led the Pack with 22 points off six 3-pointers and Madison Hayes registered her first double-double of the season behind 13 points and 10 rebounds.
At halftime, Debbie Antonelli was officially inducted into the NC State Women's Basketball Ring of Honor.
The Pack's first three baskets of the game were off 3-pointers, with two of those coming off turnovers, courtesy of James, Zoe Brooks and Hayes, as NC State took an early 9-4 lead. At the media timeout, NC State had an 11-9 lead with 4:14 left in the first quarter. Out of the timeout, Pitt tied the game, but Brooks had an answer with a jumper, which started a 12-2 run for the Pack, highlighted by triples from Brooks and James. The Panthers banked in a triple at the buzzer, and after the first quarter, the Pack led 23-16.
The Panthers continued its run from the buzzer beater, turning it to an 8-0 one to cut the lead to two. Laci Steele then knocked down a 3-pointer and drew the foul to convert a four-point play.
Saniya Rivers converted a 3-point play, but then the Pack missed its next four shots, sitting in a scoring drought for over three minutes, which allowed Pitt to tie the game at 32 with less than four minutes to go in the first half. James then broke the scoring drought with a 3-pointer. The Pack missed its next five field goals, but just before the buzzer, Rivers found Brooks for two, as NC State led 39-35 at the half.
Trygger beat the buzzer with a layup for the first points of the second half. In her first game back after missing the last five, Zamareya Jones knocked down a triple, but Pitt responded by making 3-of-3 shots. Pitt called a timeout, and with 5:10 left in the third, the Pack led 51-43. The Panthers hit a 3-pointer out of the break, but Rivers answered with one of her own. Rivers then knocked down another triple to extend the Pack's lead to 11, 59-48. The Panthers got a quick four points, but Mallory Collier had an answer with a jumper. At the end of the third quarter, NC State held a 63-54 advantage.
Pitt cut the deficit to eight off a free throw to start the fourth quarter, but James responded with her fourth triple of the game. The Panthers called a timeout, as the Pack led 66-55 with 8:17 left in the game. NC State was held in a scoring drought for two minutes until James registered back-to-back triples for her fifth and sixth of the game to help the Pack go on an 8-0 run. Brooks then delivered a layup and got fouled in the process to extend the run to 11-0 and the Pack's lead to 20, its largest of the game, 79-59. The Panthers cut the deficit to 14 off a 3-pointer with 1:23 left in the game, but the Pack closed out the game to win, 83-67.
PACK FACTS
- James registered her seventh 20-point game of the season with 22 points off 6-of-10 from beyond the arc with four assists
- Hayes logged her first double-double of the season, seventh of her career, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also had three assists
- Rivers has continued to play at a high level, stuffing the statsheet with 15 points, four rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks
- Brooks finished with 14 points, six boards, four assists and two steals
- In her first game back, Jones played 16 minutes off the bench and had five points
- All 11 players saw time on the court
UPCOMING
NC State will stay at home to host Virginia on Sunday, Jan. 19 for a 2 p.m. tipoff from Reynolds Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on The CW.
