NC State’s Saniya Rivers ‘blessed’ to eclipse 1,000-point career milestone

Just before NC State senior guard Saniya Rivers toed the free throw line late in the third quarter in the Pack’s 85-57 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, she heard a whisper in her ear. It was a motivator, but more importantly, it let the Wolfpack’s leading scorer know that the two free throws could be historic. 

Aziaha James leaned in and told Rivers to hit both of the foul shots. If she did, the Wilmington, N.C., native would eclipse 1,000 points. It caught Rivers off guard in the moment.

“Wait, how do you know and I don’t?” Rivers asked James. 

Rivers took that tidbit and made sure she was successful. She hit both shots to reach the career mark that only 37 others in NC State program history have before her, including James. It brought a smile to Rivers’ face in the moment, although she had to get back on defense, before she could bask in it during the next stoppage in play.

And once the public address announcer inside Reynolds Coliseum announced it to the sold-out crowd of 5,500, Rivers was able to celebrate with the fan base she’s grown to love over the past three seasons. She high fived several fans sitting courtside before throwing up the Wolfpack’s hand signal as she prepared to play defense. 

For Rivers, who now sits at 1,006 career points, sharing the moment with the Wolfpack fan base was all she could ask for. 

“These fans love and support me even if I have a donut and score nothing,” Rivers said. “The support and love is there. I couldn’t be happier and more appreciative.”

Rivers, who scored 17 points against the Hokies, called hitting the career mark “a blessing” multiple times as she talked postgame. But her path to this moment wasn’t exactly what she envisioned when she enrolled at South Carolina ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. 

The former No. 3 player in her recruiting class spent her freshman year as a reserve for the Gamecocks. Rivers averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 assists in 12.9 minutes a night on a team that claimed the national title by the end of the season. 

While she was a part of a winning team, Rivers looked to gain a bigger role. She found that with the Wolfpack — and coach Wes Moore routinely jokes that Rivers initially made a mistake of passing on his program out of high school. 

But in the end, Rivers ended up where she needed to be. And in the process, she has helped power NC State to an ACC title and a Final Four appearance on top of the 1,000-point landmark. 

“I play for a great program with great teammates for a great coach … and I’m just happy I got a second opportunity coming out of my freshman year to play for another program,” Rivers said. “I’m happy now. This 1,000 points is just another accomplishment. I know many other people aren’t fortunate enough to get it, but I’m blessed and I’m just going to keep going.”

Moore, meanwhile, said Rivers was battling an illness earlier in the week. He wasn’t sure what her impact against the Hokies would be, but by the end of the game it was clear. Rivers was a game changer as she logged three steals with her defensive intensity to go with a 7-of-11 shooting night. 

“Most nights, she’s bringing a lot of energy, she’s making ends on both ends of the floor,” Moore said. “Scoring 1,000 points is a great accomplishment at this level. You could lock me in [the media room] for a couple of days by myself and I couldn’t score 1,000 points. So I’m happy for her.”

As Rivers reflected on her time with the Pack, James sat with a smile just to her left. It didn’t take long for her to rave about someone she calls a sister. 

“I feel like she’s one of our glue [players] for the team,” James said. “She brings us together even when we’re down. She’s always got the high road for this team. She brings a lot to this team. She helps the freshmen face adversity and so much — you can’t even say them all.”

Rivers and James are the only two players on NC State’s roster that have reached the milestone (Madison Hayes is 32 points away). They enjoyed it together afterwards, smiling as each question was hurled their way. 

By the time they left the media room, Rivers beamed. She reached a mark that very few have in the 51 years of Wolfpack women’s basketball. That seemed to fill her with joy and gratitude. 

“It’s a big accomplishment,” Rivers said, “and I’m very blessed.”