Wolfpack ends skid with 71-61 win over Miami

Well, the night started unpleasantly enough, with Miami opening a 10-2 lead ... and then NC State went on a big run to assert control as the Hurricanes’ offense ran dry.

Miami scored only five points in the second quarter amid a run of horrible possessions—several of them either ended in a shot clock violation, or came close—as the Pack built a 16-point halftime lead that would be too much for Miami to overcome in the second half.

Turnovers helped the Pack get some easy transition opportunities to get its offense going in the first half, and it was a very good shooting night if you just ignore the shots that came from beyond the arc. Who needs threes, anyway!

NC State hit two-thirds of its two-point attempts, and leading the charge early was River Baldwin, who also suffered a right knee injury midway through the second quarter and did not return. Baldwin was backing her defender down in the post when said defender just decided to step aside, which led to an awkward fall and Baldwin landing hard directly on her right knee.

What the Miami player did there wasn’t illegal, but definitely was a bit of a dick move, given that it can and in this case did get someone hurt. Wes Moore wasn’t thrilled.

Baldwin’s departure left State with seven players the rest of the way, as Jada Boyd and Jessica Timmons didn’t dress.

Saniya Rivers had an exceptional night defensively, finishing with six steals—and she made the most of the scoring opportunities those takeaways gave her. Aziaha James also played well in the backcourt, and Mimi Collins stepped up in Baldwin’s absence.

It’s a good win against a team that was on a five-game winning streak that included wins over Virginia Tech and UNC. But it’s also tough not to dwell on yet another injury setback. The Pack’s luck is not improving on that front and it’s a big problem.