No matter who was returning or joining the program, it was always going to be hard for NC State women’s basketball to replace 80% of its starting lineup from a season ago.
After winning its third consecutive ACC Championship and making it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1998 in the 2021-22 season, the Wolfpack lost four starters — Elissa Cunane, Raina Perez, Kai Crutchfield and Kayla Jones.
That marked the end of an era in Raleigh, and it ushered in a new chapter of Wolfpack women’s basketball.
While the team returned talented players from last season, such as junior guard Diamond Johnson, senior wing Jakia Brown-Turner and senior forward Jada Boyd, this was always going to be a rebuilding year for the Pack.
There were times when the team looked like the successor to the great teams of recent years, and there were other times when the team looked like it was sorely missing key pieces from that memorable run.
When it’s all said and done, following up a three-year run at the ACC Championship with a first-round NCAA Tournament exit is a bit of a letdown, but that doesn’t mean the season itself was a disappointment. This year’s women’s basketball team provided moments that were as exciting as any.
The Pack couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the season, going 11-1 through its first 12 games. That included a win on the road against Caitlin Clark and Iowa, making NC State the only team to beat the Hawkeyes in their home arena this year.
It looked for a moment as though this team would continue the greatness of the last three years without any hiccups, but that all started to change when conference play began. Johnson and Boyd had each suffered injuries in December, and the team struggled during their absence and even after their returns, going 2-4 in a stretch from the end of December into January.
At this point, it was clear that NC State would have a tough time achieving the standards the program has set, but the team soon got back to its winning ways with a three-game win streak to end January. That stretch included arguably the Pack’s best performance of the season — a 69-65 home win over eventual ACC regular-season champ Notre Dame.
The good times wouldn’t last, however, as the team lost three of its first four games in February. But just when things perhaps looked most bleak, it came time for NC State’s most highly-anticipated game of the season — a home matchup against North Carolina.
The Tar Heels got the better of the Pack in the first matchup of the season between the two teams in Chapel Hill, and for a while, it looked like it was going to be the same result in Raleigh. But channeling 2021 NC State football, the Wolfpack women stormed back to win an electric 77-66 overtime decision.
The “Small Gym,” as it has been branded by UNC head coach Courtney Banghart, was rocking that night, which proved to be the highlight of the season for the Pack.
That also proved to be the highpoint in an otherwise unmemorable month of February in which NC State went just 3-5, finishing the regular season with a 9-9 conference record.
The Pack entered the ACC Tournament in Greensboro as the 8-seed, taking care of business in its first game against Syracuse before falling to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals, thus ending the chances at a four-peat.
Two weeks later, NC State traveled out west to Salt Lake City, Utah for the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Princeton. The Pack had the game in hand, leading by eight with less than five minutes to go before the unthinkable happened — the Tigers went on a 9-0 run to close the game, including the game-winning 3-pointer with four seconds left to send the red-and-white home.
The Pack’s season may have ended slightly differently had it not been for Johnson’s absence, who missed the final six games of the season due to an ankle injury. She proved to be the team’s best player this season, leading the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game and earning Second-Team All-ACC honors. Each of her 10 absences during the season were greatly felt.
This season marked the curtain call for Brown-Turner, Boyd and senior center Camille Hobby, who have been with the team every step of the way the past four seasons. That group was a part of the run that included the three ACC championships, two Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight, with Brown-Turner hitting one of the most memorable and clutch shots in school history in that Elite Eight game against UConn.
Sophomore guard Saniya Rivers, graduate forward Mimi Collins and graduate center River Baldwin each proved to be worthwhile additions this season after transferring to Raleigh, with Rivers especially establishing herself as a defensive menace and being named the ACC’s Sixth Player of the Year at season’s end.
Junior guard Madison Hayes and sophomore guard Aziaha James also made strides in their second year on the team. James in particular will be remembered for her role in the comeback over UNC, scoring 12 points between the fourth quarter and overtime to help seal the win.
While the ending may leave a sour taste, the future is bright in Raleigh, and head coach Wes Moore is going to get the program back to its championship-caliber ways in no time.
