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Final: NC State 61 James Madison 47
December 19, 2024
Raleigh, NC-Riding a 4-game winning streak and fresh off of their ACC opening win, the NC State women’s basketball team (9-3, 1-0) returned to action Thursday night to finish up the non-conference portion of their schedule playing host to the visiting Dukes of James Madison. The Dukes (8-4,0-0), picked to win the SunBelt, came into Reynolds Coliseum for the first time in program history. The 2 previous matchups ended with each team winning one game each. The Dukes close out one of the toughest non-conference schedules for any team in the country for the Wolfpack who are looking to close out on a high note before the holiday break.
1st Quarter NC State 20 James Madison 7
NC State got off to a hot start with Zoe Brooks leading the way for the Pack with 6 early points as NC State carried a 15-5 lead into the first media timeout. NC State also carried a 9-0 run into the timeout over the course of 3 minutes and 35 seconds. The Wolfpack made 7 of their first 12 baskets on their way to earning the early lead. Aziaha James and Madison Hayes also chipped in early 3’s to push the lead up to 13 with the score 18-5 with 3 minutes left in the quarter. Brooks would finish the quarter with 8 points in the early going to lead all scorers.
NC State would finish the quarter shooting 60% from the floor and 33% from 3 on their way to a 13-point lead. The Pack would also lead the battle for the glass earning an early 13-9 advantage on the boards. Tilda Trygger and Saniya Rivers each had 3 rebounds to lead the Wolfpack. Zakiya Stephenson led the way for the Dukes with 3 of her teams 7 points. The Dukes were unable to get much to fall in the first finishing just 3-17 from the floor including 1-6 from 3.
2nd Quarter NC State 26 James Madison 17
Both teams started the 2nd quarter slowly as both teams managed just 2 points each in the first 3 and half minutes. NC State would enter the media timeout on a 2 minute and 20 second scoring drought as both teams continued to struggle from the field. The lead would be 11 at the under 5 media timeout with the Wolfpack still leading 22-11. NC State began the quarter shooting just 1-10 from the floor and 0-8 from 3. They would finish just 3-21 for the quarter and 0-12 from 3. Zoe Brooks continued to lead all scorers with 10 points and also chipped in 2 assists. The Wolfpack would carry a 9-point advantage to the locker room still as James Madison also struggled from the field as well.
3rd Quarter NC State 42 James Madison 33
After the half, Aziaha James came out of the locker room and ignited the Wolfpack offense in the early part of the quarter with 7 of the 10 points out of the break. James would add another 3-pointer to give her 10 points before the media timeout. The lead would grow to 13 at the under 5 media timeout with the Wolfpack leading 40-27. The offense came alive again in the quarter with James shooting 4-5 from the field and 2-2 from beyond the arc.
The Wolfpack defense continued to show its dominance over the Dukes in the 3rd quarter as they continued to hold James Madison to just 25% shooting from the field for the game at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Dukes held the edge on the glass with a 38-36 advantage on the boards leading to 10 offensive rebounds and 4 second chance points from the Dukes.
4th Quarter NC State 61 James Madison 47
Aziaha James continued her torrid night with another 4 points to start the 4th for Wolfpack giving her 19 points for the game and 14 in the second half alone. Her play on both ends of the floor sparked the team to an 11-point lead early in the quarter as the Wolfpack looked to secure their 9th win of the season as they enter conference schedule in earnest. Devin Quigley would add another spark as she went on 5-0 run of her own midway through the quarter to give the Wolfpack their largest lead of the night at 54-38. Quigley would go on to finish the night with 8 points in 6 minutes on the floor. The Wolfpack will now break for the holidays and return to action December 29th against Clemson at Reynolds Coliseum
