NC State snaps losing streak, defends home court against Miami

NC State snapped its two-game losing streak and showed up on both ends of the floor, scoring efficiently and shutting down Miami’s offense in the first half, leaving Reynolds Coliseum with a 71-61 win Thursday night. 

Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James played like stars for the Wolfpack, coming off the bench and dominating throughout the game. 

A total of 6 steals by Rivers helped lead to a few transition layups, and she the team in scoring with 14 points. She also grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Rivers’ length totally disrupted Miami’s offense and helped hold the Hurricanes to 3 of 16 from three-point range. 

James, a 5-9 sophomore guard, led the team in rebounding with 6, including 2 boards on the offensive glass. 

“I mean, she really stepped up when we needed her,” Mimi Collins, who finished the game with 11 points and 4 rebounds, said. “I don’t know if y’all saw it, twice she jumped over four people, and that’s something you just usually never see from a guard.”

“She always has our back,” Rivers said. “She’s going to be there flying around. I told her all the time she makes me nervous the way that she just flies around, the way she lands, but [James] is always going to get the hustle plays, the rebounds, the dives on the floor and she’s definitely been big for this team.”

After falling behind 8-2 early due to 3 turnovers, NC State turned to the bench, bringing in Rivers and James, who immediately made an impact. Miami finished the final minutes of the first quarter 1 of 8 from the field and turned the ball over 4 times in the final 6:47. Rivers and River Baldwin each scored 6 points on perfect 3 of 3 shooting. 

The Wolfpack’s offense slowed down slightly in the second quarter, but the defense played one of its best quarters of the season, forcing 6 turnovers and holding the Hurricanes to just 5 points. 

“I know, we’ve just got to be more consistent,” head coach Wes Moore said. “I’m greedy. . . I told them at halftime, to give up 5 points, 19 in a half, heck of a job.”

James and Rivers led the Pack with 8 points apiece at halftime, and NC State took a 16-point lead into the break. NC State shot 53-percent from the field in the first half. 

Miami went on a run in the third quarter, at one point making six-consecutive shots, but a timely and-one bucket by Madison Hayes and 7 third-quarter points helped hold off the Hurricanes to go into the final period with a 15-point advantage. 

Even though the Wolfpack shot 0 for 5 from deep in the final period, the Pack forced 4 more turnovers and slowed down Miami’s late run. NC State went into the night with 8 available athletes, and Baldwin left the game with an apparent leg injury. Moore confirmed that Baldwin will have an MRI tomorrow. Jessica Timmons missed the game due to illness, and Jada Boyd was out with an injury. 

“We knew [Boyd] wasn’t playing, we knew Diamond [Johnson] would [play] limited minutes because her ankle is still bothering her a little bit,” Rivers said. “Didn’t expect for River [Baldwin] to go down, but we made the best of it. I think it was a really good performance overall.

“With River going out, we were down to seven players, and again that’s my fault,” Moore said. “I’m the one that puts the roster together, and here we are in a tough spot. So that’s on me, but I’m proud of the way our kids fought and hung in there. It was definitely a team effort.”

NC State improved to 4-4 in the ACC and 14-5 overall with the win. Miami arrived in Raleigh on a 5-game ACC winning streak, and the Wolfpack snapped the streak to get back to the program’s winning ways. 

“I think today we had a lot of togetherness,” Collins said. “In shootaround, we [were] just really locked in. Even this week’s preparation we were just very locked in, and we just got to a point to where enough is enough. So, as a team, we just put all hands on deck and came together and just wanted to win.”

The Pack hits the road again for a matchup against Louisville Sunday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m.. ABC will broadcast the conference clash.