The No. 8 NC State women’s basketball team won a scrappy battle against the Clemson Tigers Thursday night in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State withstood a late charge by the Tigers and played shutdown defense in crunch time to improve to 19-0 on the season.
The first quarter was a rocky start for both teams, as they combined for 11 turnovers in that opening period. The game was a back and forth affair with NC State (19-0, 6-0 ACC) and Clemson (14-6, 5-2 ACC) trading blows. The first quarter ended with NC State leading 15-12
The Tigers opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run and built a 20-15 lead. The Pack took control for the remainder of the half and outscored Clemson 15-5.
NC State started the second half flat by committing multiple turnovers and giving up three straight baskets to Clemson. The team bounced back with an 8-0 run and built a 48-39 lead by the end of the third quarter.
The Pack extended its lead to 11 after two made free throws by senior forward DD Rogers, but Clemson put together a frenzied 12-0 run to take the lead 51-50 with 4:23 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NC State held Clemson scoreless for the remainder of the contest, and two baskets late put the Pack on top for good.
The game was scrappy from the opening whistle; both teams were physical in the paint and eager to take the ball away. Ball security was a major problem all night, with Clemson coughing up the ball 17 times yet still winning the turnover battle as NC State committed 21 of its own.
“Turnovers, we had trouble with that for the whole game, pretty much,” head coach Wes Moore said. “It wasn’t pretty. It was about as much fun for me as a root canal.”
Despite the physical game, neither team committed many fouls. No one from either side entered foul trouble and neither team entered the bonus until late in the fourth quarter when Clemson was intentionally fouling to stay alive.
NC State dominated the boards with 48 total rebounds, 31 offensive and 17 defensive, against Clemson’s rebound total of 35 total, 23 offensive and 12 defensive. Rogers was unstoppable all night with 15 rebounds by herself. NC State capitalized on its offensive rebounding efforts with 17 second-chance points. Clemson only had four.
Both teams had an abysmal night shooting. NC State shot 37 percent from the field and a dreadful 3 for 22 from behind the arc. Clemson’s night was even worse, however, as it only made 35 percent of its field goals and made 2 of 10 3-point shots.
Free throws were an issue for the Pack as well as it hit 5 of 12 and missed its last four, keeping Clemson alive until the final whistle. NC State scored a season-low 54 points but was able to hold Clemson to a season-low 51.
“We needed every stop we got, obviously, with the turnovers and the missed 3s, the missed free throws,” Moore said. “It’s what we preach, it’s what we say all the time: that if you’ll defend and rebound, even on a bad night and tonight was a bad night, that you can still win. And the great teams do that. The great teams win on a night when the ball just doesn’t go in the hole.”
The Pack will look to continue its unbeaten run as it travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech on Sunday. Tipoff will be at 2 p.m.
Junior forward Erika Cassell goes up for a rebound against Clemson on Thursday, Jan. 24 in Reynolds Coliseum. Cassell totaled five rebounds that contributed to the 54-51 win over the Tigers.
