It’s not easy to win a game in which your opponent shoots 15-31 from three, but NC State managed to do it against Clemson on Sunday. The Tigers brought their best effort to Raleigh and held an eight-point lead in the second half, but the Wolfpack surged down the stretch to secure the win.
State ended the third quarter on a 9-0 run to take a two point lead in to the fourth, and after Clemson re-took the lead with a (you guessed it!) three-pointer, State grabbed it right back on the following possession and did not trail again.
Solid play through the middle part of the fourth quarter pushed the Pack ahead by 10 and a wild three by Saniya Rivers as the shot clock was expiring with 1:41 left put the Tigers to bed.
State got double-digit scoring nights from Rivers, Aziaha James, Zoe Brooks, and Madison Hayes, who led the team with 19 points. Hayes stepped up to shoot 3-6 from three on a night where everyone else struggled from the perimeter.
As a team, State shot 55% inside the arc (Clemson shot 42%) and earned 27 free throw attempts, and that was a big difference in getting the win. State also only turned the ball over seven times. Wes Moore’s move to a zone defense for stretches in the second half also helped get Clemson out of sorts.
Next up for NC State is a home game against Boston College on Sunday.