NC State
21-5,13-2ACC
Georgia Tech
21-6,9-6ACC
Pack Pushes Past Georgia Tech on the Road for Fourth Ranked Win of Season
2/20/2025 9:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ATLANTA – The No. 13/12 NC State women's basketball team earned a big road win over No. 20/20 Georgia Tech on Thursday night, 83-68. The Pack shot 53.2 percent (33-62) from the field and knocked down eight triples, while outrebounding the Yellow Jackets 37-35. NC State used a 17-0 run late in the third quarter to create some distance, and the closest GT would get to the Pack the rest of the game was eight.
NC State had four players in double digits, highlighted by Saniya Rivers, who flirted with a triple double behind 16 points, seven rebounds and matched a career-high eight assists. The Pack is now 21-5 and is 13-2 in the league, while sitting in second in the ACC.
Georgia Tech got on the board first, but NC State quickly responded with baskets from Rivers and Aziaha James. The Pack was then held in a scoring drought for four minutes, as the Yellow Jackets took an 8-4 lead off a triple and a 6-0 run. James then knocked down a triple of her own to break the long drought and Zoe Brooks made a layup off a steal. At the media timeout taken with 2:57 left in the first, Georgia Tech led 10-9. Out of the timeout, Tilda Trygger made a putback layup to pull the Pack back ahead, which was the first of four field goals made in a row, including back-to-back 3-pointers for James and Madison Hayes. Out of the media timeout, the Pack closed out the quarter on a 12-5 run to lead 21-15 after the first quarter.
James kept it rolling with the first basket of the second quarter off a jumper, but the Yellow Jackets had an answer with their third triple of the game. Zamareya Jones came off the bench and hit a 3-pointer and James followed with a triple as well. Georgia Tech called a timeout, as the Pack led 29-18 with 6:49 left in the second quarter. Jones hit a jumper to extend the Pack's run to an 8-0 one, but GT hit a 3-pointer and scored off a steal. James then hit a midrange jumper to extend the Pack's lead back to 10, but that was until the Yellow Jackets started to get going offensively to go on a 5-0 run. Brooks then delivered a layup through contact and converted the 3-point play. The Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to six three times in the remaining three minutes of the second quarter, and at the half, the Pack led 42-36.
James quickly found Hayes for a fastbreak layup after a GT miss to start the third quarter, as the Pack made three straight baskets. GT would have a response each time, also making three straight field goals, as the Pack led 48-45 with 6:24 left in the third. The Yellow Jackets cut the deficit to one, but Rivers quickly responded with a layup. Brooks delivered a jumper, and the Pack led 52-49 with 4:20 left in the third. Out of the break, the Yellow Jackets retook the lead off back-to-back baskets, but that was the last time GT led, as Devyn Quigley made a tough layup and Hayes hit a 3-pointer in transition, a part of a 14-0 run for NC State to close out the quarter. A Hayes 3-pointer before the buzzer extended the Pack's lead to 66-53 at the end of the third quarter.
The Pack extended its run to a 17-0 run, as Hayes knocked down another 3-pointer. The Yellow Jackets then broke its three-minute scoring drought with a jumper. GT took an 8-0 run in just over one minute to cut the deficit to eight, as the Pack could not find a field goal for over three minutes until Rivers made a layup off a GT turnover. At the media timeout taken with 4:54 left in the game, NC State led 73-63. Brooks made two free throws out of the break, and GT responded with a 3-pointer. With 3:27 left in the game, the Pack led 77-66 after Rivers made two free throws out of the timeout. The Pack was held without a field goal for four minutes until Rivers made her way to the rim for a layup, which helped NC State close out the game on a 6-0 run, while GT was held scoreless for the remaining three minutes of the game.
PACK FACTS
- James paced the Pack with 17 points off 7-of-11 shooting from the field and three triples, with three assists. She had 15 of her points in the first half
- Brooks finished with 17 points, including 11 in the first half, with five rebounds and two steals
- Rivers logged a near triple-double with 16 points, 7-of-14 from the field, seven rebounds and eight assists with two steals. She also had a big block late in the game for a stop defensively
- Hayes knocked down big triples, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists
- Trygger played 33 minutes, finishing with eight points and seven boards with two blocks
- The freshmen stepped up big in the third quarter, as Jones logged seven points and two assists and Devyn Quigley finished with two points, including a basket to put the Pack ahead for good
UPCOMING
The Pack will host No. 1/1 Notre Dame on Sunday, Feb. 23 for a noon tipoff on ESPN. Raleigh will also be hosting College GameDay, and doors will open at 10:15 a.m. for fans, as GameDay will start at 11 a.m.
