NC State
16-4,8-1ACC
Virginia Tech
14-6,5-4ACC
Hot Shooting Pushes No. 20 Pack to 85-57 Win Over Virginia Tech
1/26/2025 8:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. – The No. 20 ranked NC State women's basketball team shot a season-best 56.3 percent (36-64) in its 85-57 win over Virginia Tech to mark the third time this season NC State has shot 50+ percent from the field. NC State shot a season-best 76.5 percent in the first quarter, which helped the Pack get off to a hot start and lead in the game in wire-to-wire fashion to snap a four-game losing skid to the Hokies. The Pack had four players in double digits, led by Aziaha James' 25 points and Saniya Rivers reaching 1,000 career points.
The Pack beat Virginia Tech in the battles of points off turnovers (16-2), points in the paint (50-28) and fast breaks (20-5). NC State improved to 16-4 on the season and 8-1 in the ACC. The Pack has now won 12 of the last 13 games and has improved to 12-0 at home this season with a 17-game home winning streak.
NC State won the tipoff, which set up for a quick Madison Hayes basket. The Pack continued to attack the basket, going 5-of-5 from the field to take a 12-4 lead off back-to-back Zoe Brooks buckets. Hayes took it to the basket for a layup and drew the foul in the process. WIth 4:54 left in the first, the Pack led, 15-6. The Pack kept rolling, as James logged the Pack's first 3-pointer of the game and followed that up with a layup, forcing Virginia Tech to call the timeout. The Pack led, 20-8 with 3:20 left in the first. NC State kept the roll going, extending with an 11-0 one, as Rivers came up with a layup off a steal. The Hokies were held in a scoring drought for nearly four minutes, as the Pack shot a season-best 76 percent from the field in a quarter to lead 29-12 after the first quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, James delivered a basket off the Pack's fifth steal of the game. The Pack took a 19-point lead with a Brooks layup. Virginia Tech nailed a 3-pointer and came up with a layup, but Zamareya Jones answered with a turnaround jumper. At the media timeout taken at 4:41, the Pack led 39-23. VT cut the deficit to 11 with a jumper, but that's the closest the Hokies would get, as VT was held scoreless for the remaining 2.5 minutes of the quarter and Hayes made a jumper, as the Pack led 44-29 at the half.
Hayes opened the third quarter with an and-1 for the Pack, which was the first of five straight field goals made for the Pack. Brooks and James made back-to-back layups to take a 23-point lead, as the Hokies called a timeout. The Pack led 61-38 at the media timeout with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Rivers surpassed 1,000 career points with two free throws and then delivered a jumper as a part of an 8-0 run for the Pack, while VT was held in a scoring drought for nearly four minutes. James hit a 3-pointer and the Hokies came up with a triple to end the half, as the Pack led 68-43 at the end of the third quarter.
Mallory Collier came up with a layup to open the fourth quarter. Devyn Quigley then came up with a jumper and Jones delivered a triple, as the shot clock expired. After a Jones layup, the Pack led the Hokies 81-52 with 4:52 left in the game. Collier made a reverse layup to extend the Pack's lead to 30, the largest of the game. The Pack went on to win 85-57.
PACK FACTS
- James logged her ninth 20+ point game of the season with 25 points off 10-of-18 shooting from the field. She also registered five rebounds, four assists and two steals in just 29 minutes
- Rivers surpassed 1,000 career points, including her freshman year at South Carolina, behind 17 points, 7-of-11 shooting from the field, six rebounds and three steals
- Hayes tallied 12 points off 5-of-6 from the field, with six boards and one steal
- Brooks finished with 12 points, eight boards, three assists and one steal
- Jones had seven points and three boards and Collier recorded six points with three boards off the bench
- The Pack outrebounded the Hokies 42-31
- NC State logged 50 points in the paint with 20 fast break points and 16 points off turnovers
UPCOMING
NC State will head to Wake Forest to play the Demon Deacons on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. in Winston-Salem. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
