NC State senior Akela Maize and redshirt junior Kiara Leslie combined to score 33 points to seal the Wolfpack women’s basketball team’s 72-54 win over Boston College at Reynolds Coliseum Sunday afternoon, marking its seventh straight ACC win, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2000-2001 season.

“Amazing. They’ve done a heck of a job. I mean they really have. Couldn’t be prouder of them,” head coach Wes Moore said. “One of the proudest I’ve been of a group.”

The Wolfpack (19-5, 8-3 ACC) had a tough first half against the Eagles (6-17, 1-9 ACC), having a tied score of 25-25 by the time the second quarter ended. The third quarter was a turnaround for the Pack though, as State was able to dominate the floor and was able to hold the Eagles at bay for the rest of the game.

“First half wasn’t a whole lot of fun,” Moore said. “Second half came out and played with a little more energy, a little more urgency. A much better job.”

The Wolfpack started the game strong, fueled by its defense, holding Boston College to only 10 points in the first quarter. State had a balanced scoring effort with junior DD Rogers, Leslie and Maize each contributing four points, as the quarter ended with State up 17-10.

The second quarter was much of the opposite, as Boston College held NC State to seven points, while it turned its offense up to the tune of 15 points.

Early on in the second quarter, the Eagles received a team technical foul, allowing NC State redshirt junior Armani Hawkins to go to the foul line where she made one basket to increase the Pack’s lead to 18-13.

The Eagles cleaned up their play after that. Shots started to go into the basket and their defense picked up the intensity, especially with a double team on Maize.

The Pack struggled to stay in front of the Eagles on offense and committed seven fouls in the second quarter. The half ended with the teams trading free throws in the last seven seconds and the score all tied up at 25.

The second half started off similar to the first, with a low-post pass into Maize for a bucket. This would be a trend for the rest of the game. After trading buckets for a couple of minutes, Leslie hit a 3-pointer which started a 7-0 run by herself. She ended that run with an emphatic block and an easy transition layup.

Leslie posted a double-double, scoring 17 points throughout the game and grabbing 11 rebounds, eight defensively and three offensively.

“Kiara Leslie, a double-double, just keeps being solid and consistent. She did a great job for us,” Moore said. “She’s doing a great job. I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘exceeded’ [my expectations] but on the other hand I don’t know if I saw this coming.”

Moore also complimented Leslie’s abilities as a guard and his faith in her to crash the boards instead of getting back in transition defense.

“She’s gotten more under control. She’s making better decisions with the ball. Knowing when to push the issue and when to attack and when to settle down,” Moore said. “She’s definitely warranted that opportunity and trust. She’s done a great job.”

Leslie’s aggression on both offense and defense is what helped the Pack go on a 23-8 run in the third quarter. With State up 54-39 entering the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack turned to sophomore Aislinn Konig to run the offense. She assisted on multiple plays to Maize who finished with 16 points and five boards. Konig didn’t have the greatest shooting night, as she went 2 of 6 from the perimeter, but finished with a game-high six assists.

Defense and rebounding were huge factors for the Wolfpack in this game. State shot 46 percent from the field, while holding Boston College to 37 percent to increase its record to 11-0 when shooting over 40 percent and 15-2 when holding teams to under 40 percent. The Pack also improved on their fourth-ranked rebounding margin in the nation, by out-rebounding the Eagles 39-26. Defense and rebounding have been the main catalyst of this seven-game win streak.

Maize emphasized this sentiment after the game.

“Definitely defense, focusing on taking away the strengths of players and also out-rebounding our opponent,” Maize said. “We get a lot more possessions, so that’s more points on our end.”

The Wolfpack will go on the road to Florida to face off against Miami this Thursday at 7 p.m.