After two ranked matchups at neutral sites in its first two games, expectations were high for No. 10 NC State women’s basketball’s home opener against Maine, a mid-major school.
However, shots weren’t falling for the Wolfpack, recording just nine points on 17 percent shooting in the first quarter. Even midway through the second, the red-and-white offense couldn’t gather any momentum.
With under five minutes left in the half, there was a stoppage for a media timeout, after which the Wolfpack played with a different energy. The red-and-white went on a 13-3 run to close the half behind junior guard Zoe Brooks’ seven points in three minutes. The timeout unlocked the NC State offense, which didn’t look back and dominated the second half of the game en route to a 66-47 victory.
“We got the ball inside a little bit more,” said head coach Wes Moore. “We wanted to transition, so maybe we did a better job of pushing the tempo. We got some people inside that are capable of scoring, we gotta make sure that we get them touches.”
Maine operated in a 3-2 zone for the majority of the match, something this year’s Wolfpack team had yet to encounter. Zone defense is highly effective at contesting interior shots, but is especially weak to long-range shots. Unfortunately for the Pack, it shot just 3-for-20 from beyond the arc, a season low. For a team with talented shooters up and down the roster, it looked as though there was a lid on the rim.
“It’s tough when you’re not hitting shots,” Moore said. “You can talk all you want about attacking and all those things, but at some point you gotta hit some shots. I think we’re capable of doing that, hopefully we step up in the future.”
The red-and-white capitalized on their size advantage, scoring 42 points in the paint and grabbing 54 rebounds — including 13 offensive rebounds — against the Black Bears. NC State also recorded a season-high six blocks, with three coming from sophomore forward Tilda Trygger.
Yet again, leading the charge for the Pack was junior forward Khamil Pierre, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, marking her third consecutive double-double. The Vanderbilt transfer has revolutionized the Wolfpack’s frontcourt after it struggled last year due to its youth and inexperience.
“I feel like she’s a great offensive rebounder and defensive rebounder,” Brooks said. “She can score with such ease and she can run the floor great for a four player. I feel like she’s the piece we were missing.”
In its first two games, the Wolfpack bench combined for just 12 points, but totalled 18 points against Maine, finally finding its stride. Nine of the 11 players who checked into the game recorded a bucket, including junior forward Mallory Collier, who made her season debut while scoring four points in just seven minutes. Additionally, freshman guard Adelaide Jernigan recorded her first collegiate bucket, a welcome sign for one of NC State’s highest-ranked recruits.
NC State gets four days of well-earned rest before returning to its gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, hosting No. 17 TCU on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
