No. 20 North Carolina State vs Coastal Carolina | NCAA Women's Basketball | 11.21.24

RALEIGH, North Carolina | November 21st, 2024
Written by Connor VanDerMark | Technician
When senior guard Saniya Rivers turned the ball over on the first possession of NC State women’s basketball’s game against Coastal Carolina, sighs echoed throughout Reynolds Coliseum. It looked as though the Pack was in for another rough matchup. But an immediate chasedown block from graduate guard Madison Hayes instantly proved everyone wrong.
No. 20 NC State (3-2) returned to Raleigh looking to right the ship after an upset loss to TCU that gave the Wolfpack its second loss in just four games. In its return to the City of Oaks, the Pack achieved a dominant 89-68 victory against the previously undefeated Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (4-1).
Hayes followed her emphatic block by scoring 11 of the Pack’s 23 first quarter points, missing just one of her six shot attempts. Though she scored just seven points in her remaining 16 minutes of playing time, the team fed off Hayes’ electric energy and hard-working mentality.
“We had to play harder than them,” Hayes said. “They pressed all game today for the most part. Just making sure that we take care of the ball because they were everywhere. This was a good challenge for us to be ready for the next games coming up in the ACC.”
Before the game began, the Wolfpack recognized senior guard Aziaha James for scoring over 1,000 career points with the program. Not one to shy away from the spotlight, James led the red-and-white with 21 points and eight rebounds in just three quarters, marking her third straight game of 20 or more points.
Since her emergence in the second half of last season, James has proven time and again why she is one of the best guards in the nation, averaging a team-leading 19.3 points per game. Her chemistry with Rivers and her veteran presence make her a valuable piece of this NC State team.
“I’ve always felt like a veteran presence makes all the difference,” said head coach Wes Moore. “It’s almost like having three extra assistant coaches because they’re out there and see what’s going on. They know what to do schematic-wise, so they can bring those freshmen along and help them at times.”
After Hayes and James’ scoring burst through the first three quarters, Moore gave his bench players an entire quarter to play, and freshman guard Devyn Quigley did not disappoint. After scoring five points in the second quarter, Quigley scored another 15 points in the fourth, nine of which came from three-pointers.
“It’s very nice especially since I haven’t been able to hit threes in the past few games,” Quigley said. “Finally, all my work paying off, that definitely was a good feeling.You see me with my teammates in the game, but outside of what you see, you don’t see the phone calls that I’ve had with Saniya and Madison. They just try to instill confidence in me and be great teammates and role models.”
The Pack opened the game scoring at will, recording 47 points by halftime - a number that could have been higher had it converted its attempts at the stripe. A glaring weakness for the Wolfpack revealed itself in the first half - free throw shooting. The Pack missed 10 free throws throughout the match, six of which came in the first quarter.
NC State led for the majority of the game, but Coastal Carolina guard Savannah Brooks proved to be a thorn in the side of the Wolfpack defense, scoring 15 points in the first half. Though the Pack seemingly had no answer for her in the first half, Moore knew exactly how to stop her.
“We put Saniya Rivers over there,” Moore said. “We went into the game feeling like Kristin Williams was somebody we had to slow down and Saniya was on her in the first half. In the second half, we flipped it.”
Rivers only played in the third quarter, but Brooks was held scoreless for the entire 10-minute frame. For a team that has struggled early to contain opposing offenses, Rivers has proven to be a nightmare for whomever she is guarding.
Though sophomore center Mallory Collier started the game at the five for the Wolfpack, freshman center Lorena Awou led all post players in playing time. After missing the Pack’s last game against TCU, Awou led all players with nine rebounds, six of which came at the offensive end.
“Lorena has got so much potential,” Moore said. “It’s almost unfair to throw her out there as a freshman because she has a lot to learn still, but we just feel like her potential is such that we need to get her some minutes now and try to get her right by the time we hit ACC play. She’s got a presence about her.”
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Coastal Carolina is FOR REAL