No. 5 NC State women’s basketball grinds out 63-59 win over No. 24 UNC-Chapel Hill

No. 5 NC State women’s basketball kept Wolfpack nation on the edge of its seat and channeled the Cardiac Pack in a tense 63-59 win over No. 24 UNC-Chapel Hill at Reynolds Coliseum. 

NC State (19-2, 7-2 ACC) scored just one point over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the game, but leaned on its defense — it didn’t allow the Tar Heels (15-7, 6-3 ACC) to score in the final 3 minutes and 45 seconds of the game.

“I like to say it’s an ugly baby, but it’s our baby,” said head coach Wes Moore. “On a bad night, you got to find a way to win and that's why I'm proud of this team defending and rebounding.”

The Wolfpack entered the fourth quarter with a slim 49-48 lead after it gave up 24 points to the Tar Heels in the third quarter. UNC landed a big blow as it scored the first four points of the quarter to take a 52-49 lead.

Every Wolfpack fan in the stands got on their feet to cheer on their squad, willing NC State back in the game. The red-and-white responded accordingly, posting a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead. The Tar Heels’ worst nightmare came to fruition as junior guard Aziaha James took over during this stretch, similar to last year’s game at Reynolds Coliseum when James led a shocking comeback over UNC.

James only played four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, but she made up for it and then some by scoring eight of the Pack’s 14 fourth quarter points. Instead of settling for 3-point shots that weren’t falling, the junior guard attacked the rim, making tough clutch buckets inside the paint.

“I’m proud of her for keeping her confidence,” Moore said. “In the past, she may be hanging her head a little bit and get down, and tonight I thought she stayed up, stayed pretty involved and engaged on the bench. And when she went back in there, she was able to make a couple of big plays for us.”

While James closed out the game for the red-and-white, who knows where the Wolfpack would’ve been without the performances of junior guard Saniya Rivers and graduate forward Mimi Collins. 

Rivers was a steady presence all game with phenomenal offensive and defensive play, finishing the night with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. What makes her performance even more impressive is she played all 40 minutes and looked no worse for wear.

“We have so much trust and faith in [Rivers],” Collins said. “She is the head of the snake … and she got the job done.”

Even though Rivers led NC State in most statistical categories, her performance was not to be outdone by Collins. The graduate forward was key in giving the Pack a seven-point halftime lead as she scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter that blew the roof off the “small gym.”

“Hearing that crowd and when the ball goes through the net is amazing,” Collins said. “We have great fans. Wolfpack nation is everything and more to us, and what they did tonight was phenomenal.”

Collins and Baldwin have built an unbreakable bond during the year and a half they’ve been together at NC State, and there’s no doubt their relationship off the court has paid dividends when it comes to their on-court chemistry. 

“We’ve been locked in since we first met and it’s just knowing each other on and off the court,” said Collins. “We're roommates as well. So it's just 24/7, we see each other all the time and just knowing how much of an amazing person [Rivers] is and we just bounce off each other.”

NC State’s fourth player to reach double-digit scoring was freshman guard Zoe Brooks, who finished with 10 points and was crucial off the bench when James got into foul trouble. The spotlight was not too big for the freshman as she fearlessly got tough buckets inside the paint in her first rivalry game.

This balanced scoring attack earned the Wolfpack its fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season and moved NC State up to third place in the ACC.

Up next, NC State will face another top-25 team as it’s set to play No. 16 Louisville on Monday, Feb. 5, at Reynolds Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and can be found on ESPN2.