NC State women’s basketball’s first conference game was a success, beating the Miami Hurricanes 87-61 on Sunday afternoon.

The Wolfpack (7-4) came out strong and played with heart, holding Miami (6-4) to only 20 first-half points. Although the Hurricanes did better during the second half, it wasn’t enough to surmount the Pack’s performance.

Although many defensive metrics were relatively even between the teams in the first half, other metrics told a different story. The Pack allowed no fast break points in the entire half and Miami shot poorly, making only 26% of shots taken from the field.

Offensively, several members of the Wolfpack shot particularly well throughout the game, including junior forward Khamil Pierre and sophomore guard Zamareya Jones. Pierre was the leading scorer, dropping 21 points. Jones shot 75% from the 3-point line and went 6-for-10 overall from the field.

The Hurricanes performed much better after the half, most notably with their shooting. Their field goal percentage doubled from the poor first half performance to 48% in the second. Even still, this improvement wasn’t enough to catch the Pack, which maintained a comfortable lead throughout the half.

NC State also dominated from beyond the arc, finishing the game 8-for-18 from long range compared to only 6-for-25 from the Hurricanes.

The Wolfpack showed an ability to play with physicality, with 49 total rebounds compared to 31 from the Hurricanes and 10 more points in the paint, executed well against a conference team with a similar record.

The Pack led for 39 minutes, an impressive feat, but something that may become more difficult as it faces more and more challenging opponents ahead.

The next few games will prove to be an important litmus test for the Pack, starting on Thursday, Dec. 18, when NC State hosts Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. The game will be available via ACC Network Extra.