NC State women’s basketball falls to Virginia Tech. 3 takeaways from the Wolfpack’s loss
Nothing seemed to go right for the N.C. State women’s basketball team Thursday, which finished with one of its worst performances of the season.
The No. 3 Wolfpack fell to No. 16 Virginia Tech, 72-61, snapping its five-game winning streak. The Wolfpack leads the all-time series, 26-6, but the Hokies have now won four in a row.
Virginia Tech (19-4, 10-2 ACC) head coach Kenny Brooks credited his team’s patience, and said he’s watched the Wolfpack program and coach Wes Moore for years. The Hokies took lessons, and fuel from past success.
“We were patient,” Brooks said. “I think our rivalry is so good because it’s a healthy rivalry. We have so much respect for them. They have so much respect for us. We’re just fortunate enough to be able to do it.”
Both teams shot the ball well in the first several minutes, going into the first timeout tied at 11. Virginia Tech took a 21-19 lead at the end of the first.
Then, things fell apart for the Wolfpack offense. It ended up shooting just 21 of 59 (35.6%) from the field and 6 of 18 (33.3%) from deep. Madison Hayes led N.C. State (20-3, 8-3 ACC) with 20 points and seven rebounds.
On the defensive end, N.C. State came into the game allowing just 59.4 points per game. The Hokies shot 27 of 67 (40.3%) from the field and made 11 shots from 3-point range. Their 72 points were the third-most against the Pack by an ACC opponent this season.
Elizabeth Kitley led all scorers with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Georgia Amoore nearly finished with a triple-double, adding 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
“Sometimes, when you’re not hitting shots, you let it affect your defense,” Moore said. “I always use the analogy of a baseball player: If you’re not hitting well, you better not let it affect your defense. You’ve got to continue to contribute there, because if you let your offense affect your defense, now you’re really in trouble. Maybe that was part of it.
You gotta tip your hat to Virginia Tech. There’s a reason they went to a Final Four last year. They just play with a lot of toughness, mentally and physically.”
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s first loss in three weeks.
NC State outworked on the glass
The Wolfpack could’ve used coffee, an energy drink, or something, because it finished with its worst rebounding performance of the season (31). N.C. State’s previous low was 36 rebounds in a 72-57 win at Duke.
Virginia Tech deserves a lot of credit for its effort, finishing with 41 total boards and 15 on the offensive side. It added 11 second-chance points; the margin by which the Pack lost.
“Their bigs do a good job of getting positioned right and pushing you out, but at some point, you’ve got to just want to get the ball,” Moore said. “That’s where I was disappointed. I thought, at times, we didn’t compete hard enough.”
By comparison, N.C. State recorded 31 total boards — and just five on offense. The Hokies’ rebounding advantage provided an additional eight shot attempts.
“Great teams rebound,” Moore said. “We just gotta try to realize how hard you have to play and how hard you have to compete if you want to be at the top of the ACC.”
Offensive efficiency lags again
The Wolfpack finds much of its success when its offense operates by committee. Unfortunately, the committee was much smaller than usual, and it never fully found a rhythm.
Mimi Collins came into the game averaging 11.9 points per game. She finished 0 of 9 from the field, her only two points coming from the free throw line.
Saniya Rivers finished with 12 points, though she went 0-for-4 from the perimeter.
Aziaha James and Madison Hayes had opposite performances. James scored all 17 of her points in the first half, her shots coming in 1-on-1 situations. Hayes scored 16 of her 20 points in the second, though she didn’t make a field goal until 5:35 remaining in the third quarter.
The Wolfpack didn’t move effectively, on or off the ball. It recorded just four assists on 21 shots, which hurt the shooting numbers. The team isn’t known for creating a ton of assists, but it came into the game averaging 14.4 per game.
Part of N.C. State’s struggles came from facing Virginia Tech’s zone defense, and the other part was missing shots it typically makes. At some point, though, teams have to find gaps and finish the attempts they get inside.
“We got the ball in the high post. Normally, we’re really good, effective shooting the ball in the high post, foul line area,” Moore said. “Tonight we struggled some to make that shot. Still, even though they’re in the zone, we want to try and attack the gaps, get downhill a little bit and maybe set up some other people that sport up for the shot.”
N.C. State has a few days before it plays at Pittsburgh, which sits 14th in the ACC, and the Pack could use a reset after the past week.
Wolfpack needs Baldwin healthy
Center River Baldwin is known for muscling her way between opponents, hunting for rebounds and making tough shots at the basket. She had little production against the Hokies, finishing with four points and two rebounds.
Baldwin left the team’s game against Florida State on Jan. 4 and missed three games. The Wolfpack lost two of those games. She returned to the lineup on Jan. 21 against Duke, with Moore easing her back into the rotation.
The graduate student contributed 31 points and 23 rebounds in that span. Though her numbers were lower than what she’d recorded before her injury, the team could depend on her for tough defense, to set screens and excellent effort.
Baldwin was less dominant Thursday than in previous games.
Moore said he thinks Baldwin is “doing pretty good,” but the Hokies were just more effective in rebounding, while their defense made it difficult for Baldwin to score.
