NC State sends Duke packing. 4 takeaways from the Wolfpack’s 54-51 ACC Tournament win
Ninety percent of Greensboro Coliseum, dressed in red, gave the Wolfpack a standing ovation after its hard-fought, albeit ugly, 54-51 victory Friday in the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals against Duke.
No. 2 seed N.C. State (26-5, 13-5 ACC) and No. 7 seed Duke (20-11, 11-7 ACC), are among the ACC’s best defensive teams who can get hot on offense. That was made clear early. The Wolfpack took a lead just seconds in, but the Blue Devils came roaring back with their own dominant run. Rinse and repeat.
N.C. State held a slim 29-27 lead going into the half; neither team could fully pull away. Friday’s game featured 10 ties and eight lead changes.
This isn’t surprising, though. N.C. State won the first matchup at Reynolds Coliseum in January by double digits. The Blue Devils returned the favor in March.
In addition to the even matchup, neither team was particularly thrilled with its performance — or with the officiating. It was anyone’s game.
“Coming into the year, so little was expected of us, and we have used that to our advantage,” said N.C. State’s River Baldwin. “We came in with a chip on our shoulder, and we’ve proven ourselves throughout the season. We have given way more than was expected.”
Aziaha James led the Wolfpack with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting and eight rebounds.
Zoe Brooks, a freshman, contributed 12 points and five assists. Brooks struggled in the first half, shooting just 1 for 5 from the field, but finally settled in. The rookie went 5 for 8 in the second.
“Zoe was actually in our head at halftime. I guess she was just disappointed shots. weren’t falling for her ... stuff wasn’t going her way,” said Saniya Rivers. “I had to pull it to the side, like, ‘Zoe, we need you. You’re being a freshman right now. We need you to be a senior, a super senior. Whatever you need to do.’
“She took over. I’m super proud of her. This is her moment, and I hope she’s enjoying it.”
Baldwin contributed eight points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Oluchi Okananwa led the Blue Devils with 12 points. She went 4 of 6 on field goals and pulled down 11 rebounds. No other Duke player finished in double figures.
“It wasn’t a great night for us on the offensive end, and we never seemed to be able to make open shots or get a rhythm going there, but we were able to keep the margin close,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “They pulled away a couple times, but we were able to kind of bring the game back to us. That’s real growth for us.”
N.C. State plays at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against No. 6 Florida State.
Here are four takeaways from the Triangle’s tournament tussle.
NC State remains stalwart on defense
The Wolfpack took an early lead over the Blue Devils, leading by four points in the first quarter and then by as many as eight in the second quarter.
N.C. State started well by holding Duke scoreless on its first four possessions. Some coaches refer to three or more scoreless opponent possessions as kills. It ended the half with another three kills, including one stretch of seven straight Duke misses.
The Blue Devils went on multiple runs, but N.C. State’s defense continued adjusting. The Pack’s first-half stats included four blocks and a steal.
N.C. State didn’t make things easy for its crosstown rival, even when leading after the break. The Wolfpack added another pair of kills in the third and held the Blue Devils to one basket in their final 11 attempts.
Tough 3-point shooting night
Neither team could buy a 3-point basket in the first half. They went into the half 1 of 11 combined from the arc, with Madison Hayes making the only bucket.
A couple of N.C. State threes, however, went down as neither misses nor makes thanks to the Wolfpack drawing fouls on the attempts.
N.C. State entered the game No. 3 in the ACC, averaging 33.5% makes from deep. The Blue Devils followed at No. 5, making 32.6% of their 3-point shot attempts.
The programs combined to make 4 of 25 attempts from the arc, with the Pack making three. Both teams’ averages will drop after Friday’s defensive performance.
The Duke press works
Lawson runs her press defense early and often — and for good reason. The Blue Devils’ constant movement makes opponents uncomfortable and forces plenty of turnovers. After giving up 21 points in the first quarter, it implemented the press and changed the dynamic of the game.
“I thought early we were allowing their offense to be played with rhythm, and we weren’t disrupting. The catches were easy. The reversals were easy. They were in a rhythm, and we’re probably not gonna beat that if you let that happen,” Lawson said. “We needed to be more aggressive, pick up full, make them feel a little more uncomfortable. And I thought that contributed to it.”
Duke forced eight first-half turnovers and held the Wolfpack to just eight points in the second quarter. This came after the Pack scored 21 in the first quarter.
The Blue Devils pressed for a majority of the third quarter, forcing another five N.C. State turnovers.
N.C. State finished the game with 15 turnovers, many of which came directly from Duke’s defense and the discomfort it created. However, the Pack’s own defense limited the Blue Devils’ ability to capitalize on the miscues.
Plus, the Devils’ aggressive guarding held the Wolfpack to 0 for 12 from the field from 4:27 in the second quarter until 6:02 in the third.
“It’s unique to have a group that’s fully bought into each other, to play this hard defensively,” Lawson said. “I’m lucky to have have this group.”
N.C. State’s poor free-throw shooting
The Wolfpack came into the game hitting more than 75% of its free throws. It found little success at the line.
N.C. State went 7 of 20 from the charity stripe, including 1 of 8 in the fourth quarter. For a team that wants to make a run in this tournament and later into the month, it must get back to a higher efficiency.
In fact, the Pack is lucky its defense held up down the stretch or they could have been looking at a different outcome.
“Obviously, it wasn’t very pretty, but I’m proud of the way our kids hung in there,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said, noting the importance of getting stops down the stretch. “We didn’t shoot free throws like we normally do, but this time of year, survive and advance, find a way to get it done. We live to play another day.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2024 at 12:00 AM with the headline "NC State sends Duke packing. 4 takeaways from the Wolfpack’s 54-51 ACC Tournament win."
