The NC State women’s basketball team took an early lead and never looked back in its season opener against Quinnipiac.
The Wolfpack (1-0) played hard through all four quarters to topple the Bobcats (0-1) 82-45.
“I like the way we came out and took control early,” said head coach Wes Moore.
Senior forward Jada Boyd led all scorers with 14 points and was perfect from the field. Boyd also filled up the stat sheet on the defensive end with two steals and a block. She proved able to consistently punch her ticket to the free throw line, going 6-6, as the red-and-white asserted its dominance in the paint on both sides of the floor. Despite taking a hard fall in the second half, Boyd shook it off to lead the starting unit through the rest of the game.
“Boyd obviously was strong again,” Moore said. “She had a good showing in the exhibition game and backed it up again tonight.”
The Wolfpack came out hot, starting the game on a 13-0 run. Senior center Camille Hobby took control of the paint with eight first quarter points and some stellar defense. NC State held Quinnipiac to seven first quarter points, asserting its dominance and setting the tone for the contest.
Quinnipiac was held to single digits in the scoring column until halfway through the second quarter, a testament to the Pack’s impenetrable defense. The Bobcats appeared panicked on both the offensive and defensive end, as they allowed themselves to succumb to NC State’s aggressive style of play.
Sophomore guard Saniya Rivers checked into the game with 3:21 left in the first quarter. Rivers is already gaining Moore’s trust, taking the ball up the floor even on possessions where she and junior guard Diamond Johnson were both on the floor.
“I think Saniya Rivers is a possible option [at point guard],” Moore said. “She sees the floor really well.”
The starting unit opened up the opportunity for the second unit to shine in the second half. The Wolfpack went into the third quarter with a 39-11 lead, with Boyd already having scored 10 of her 14 points. Graduate forward Mimi Collins, who didn’t dress for the exhibition game, made her NC State debut and looked like a stretch four who didn’t lack confidence. Collins scored six points, with four of them coming in the second half.
In addition to Collins, sophomore guard Jessica Timmons was a spark off the bench. She was tied for second in scoring with 10 points. Timmons is a do-it-all guard who isn’t afraid to fill in for players ahead of her in the rotation.
“As a sophomore I’m looking forward to coming in and just making an impact, whether that’s getting rebounds, scoring or doing something defensively,” Timmons said.
Quinnipiac was able to take advantage of a sluggish Wolfpack start to the second half, draining four 3-pointers as part of a 12-0 scoring run to cut the Pack’s lead to 18 points, 41-23. However, that was as close as the Bobcats would get as the red-and-white soon found its second wind and turned the intensity back up.
Fourth quarter adjustments were made to get the Bobcats off the 3-point line. Wolfpack players were able to take back control of the game and dictate the pace until the final buzzer, as it had for the majority of the contest.
The Pack did what it wanted on offense as it was not fazed in the slightest by Quinnipiac’s trapping defense. This game was truly a team win, as all 11 players on NC State’s roster were able to impact the game in some way.
“You look at this stat sheet, and it’s filled up,” Rivers said. “Every last player scored. Sometimes people have off-shooting nights, but their teammates are always there to back them up, get them going and get the win.”
In its next matchup, the Pack will host the Elon Phoenix at Reynolds Coliseum at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10.
