‘That’s Reynolds for you’: NC State’s women complete third-ever home undefeated season

Saniya Rivers raced around the Reynolds Coliseum floor, high-fiving any hand that reached toward her red-dyed hair. Madison Hayes grabbed a random baby and posed with it, while Aziaha James soaked in the roar of NC State’s 5,500 fans clad in red and white in the 76-year-old gym. 

James seemed overwhelmed by the standing ovation she and her fellow seniors received. Tears streamed down her face, leaning into assistant coach Nikki West’s arms on the baseline near the entrance to the Wolfpack’s locker room. 

“Wolfpack Nation has been behind my back since I came here,” James said moments afterwards. “Just the love that they bring. They’re not just fans. They’re our family. They take care of us.”

It was the punctuation mark on the No. 2 seed Wolfpack’s 83-49 win over No. 7 seed Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday afternoon. 

The Wolfpack’s dominant postseason win, which clinched its sixth Sweet 16 appearance since 2018, completed the team’s third-ever undefeated season inside Reynolds Coliseum. Its 18 wins at home marked the most in a single season in the team’s 51 campaigns as a program.

NC State’s senior trio, which combined to score 60 of the Pack’s 83 points in its last game of the season at home, improved to 47-4 at home in their three years together. 

It’s a building that has storied history, including legendary coaches Everett Case, Norm Sloan, Jim Valvano and Kay Yow, while NC State stars David Thompson, Ronnie Shavlik, Lou Pucillo, Tommy Burleson, Dereck Whittenburg, to name a few, used to race up and down the court. More recently, it’s been the Wolfpack’s well-oiled machine of women that have brought deafening crowds to Raleigh. 

James, Rivers and Hayes have pulled the strings on several of the top moments inside Reynolds Coliseum in the past few years. They helped engineer upset wins over then-No. 2 UConn last season — Rivers’ career-best 33 points in a game that she constantly rewatches — and over then-No. 1 Notre Dame while hosting ESPN’s College Game Day this year. 

They’ve also taken the brunt of their home arena being called “small” by UNC coach Courtney Banghart, but it’s exactly what the trio has enjoyed packing with some of the most passionate fans in women’s college basketball. 

“I know people hate us because we have a ‘small gym,’ but it’s wholesome,” Rivers said with a grin. “It’s family. I love playing here. I used to watch the games all the time when I was growing up, so being able to play on the court here was amazing.”

The magic of Reynolds Coliseum was on full display in the second round NCAA Tournament win over Michigan State. The crowd helped rev the Pack’s engine early, and it took off like a jet engine. NC State took a 16-point lead by the end of the first quarter before the advantage swelled to as many as 36 points in the fourth. 

“That’s Reynolds for you,” Rivers said. “They show up every time. There’s always that red, anywhere we go. It’s hard to beat us in this building.”

Almost every team to set foot in Raleigh has found that out the hard way. Now, as the Pack looks to return to the Final Four, hoping to add another banner to the dozens hanging from the rafters, NC State will have to bottle up the Reynolds energy for the road. 

It’s a unique vibe, one the Wolfpack feeds off of at every home game. NC State’s fan base travels well, and it’s expected to again at the end of the week for the Sweet 16 in Spokane, Wash.

But for Hayes, who has spent the past four years with the Pack after transferring in from Mississippi State, being able to give the team’s faithful one last show on the Reynolds floor was all she and the rest of NC State’s veterans could ask for.

“It’s just really special being able to end that way,” Hayes said. “It was just a special moment for us seniors. … But we’re not done yet. We’ve got to keep it pushing.”