NC State Newsstand: Saniya Rivers blossoms in WNBA debut with Connecticut Sun
Former NC State star Saniya Rivers, the No. 8 overall draft pick, made her WNBA debut with the Connecticut Sun in a 87-62 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night. Although she missed two weeks of practice following the death of her mother, Demetria, Rivers was focused on making the most of her time on the court.
That’s exactly what the two-time All-ACC First Team selection did.
Rivers scored 11 points with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 25 minutes off the bench — the most production of any of the Sun’s reserves in the team’s second game of the 2025 campaign.
“I haven’t really been around the team, I didn’t have much time to prepare, but I took advantage of the time that I did have,” Rivers told reporters afterwards. “I just leaned on my teammates, on my vets and they really instilled a lot of confidence in me [and] a lot of knowledge.”
While Rivers’ playing time came in the blowout loss, her ability to get back on the floor following her mother’s death due to congestive heart failure at 47 was a big moment for her. She looked like her usual self on the floor, poking the ball away from a pair of ball handlers, while using her athletic frame to get to the rim with ease.
As Rivers continues to grieve and process the loss of one of her biggest supporters, who was often seen inside Reynolds Coliseum with the biggest grins on her face after her daughter made highlight-reel plays, she found peace in her first professional outing of her career.
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“Losing my mom has been the toughest thing I’ve ever faced in my life, and I’m playing for her,” Rivers said. “I know she’s looking over me and protecting me in a different way. This night meant the world to me because this is what she wanted for me. I never thought I’d be here. I wish she was here to see it.”
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Quote of the day
NC State was supposed to play at App State this fall, but it scheduled a home-and-home with Virginia instead. Now, it is set to play in Boone in 2028, but will it actually happen? That’s uncertain.
“Where’s the value in the game as a program?” Dave Doeren said. “I understand it helps them, but you’re not in the business to help the other school. You’re in the business to help your school. Any road win against another opponent shouldn’t hurt you in the rankings, and it did hurt them.
“To me, I don’t understand. From an argument standpoint, how can you say it’s the wrong move to not play there if you have living proof that another team suffered winning there. It’s one thing to lose there, but to win there and go down in the rankings, that shouldn’t happen.”
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