NC State
Florida State
3/9/2024 4:36:00 PM | Ladies's Basketball
GREENSBORO, N.C. – NC State ladies’s hoops (27-5) is returning to the ACC Event championship sport after punching its ticket with a 69-43 win over No. 6 seed Florida State (23-10) in Saturday afternoon’s semifinal matchup.
The Pack advances to the title sport for the 18th time in program historical past and the fourth time within the final 5 seasons. NC State will tackle fourth-seeded Notre Dame within the championship sport on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Wolfpack held Florida State to its season low in scoring within the win and led by 10 or extra factors for the ultimate 15:55 of the competition. NC State out-rebounded Florida State by 26 and had three gamers contribute 10+ boards in its ACC-high 58 rebound depend.
Mimi Collins posted a double-double with 17 factors and 13 rebounds, with that rebound mark setting her new season excessive. Aziaha James completed simply shy of the double-double with a team-leading 23 factors, probably the most she’s scored in ACC Event motion, and 9 rebounds. River Baldwin (11 rebounds) and Madison Hayes (10 rebounds) rounded out the crew’s effort off the glass.
NC State additionally had 4 gamers dish out 4 assists, with James, Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks contributing 12 of the crew’s 15 assists on the afternoon.
NC State went on an 8-0 run within the latter half of the primary quarter and held FSU scoreless over that almost four-minute span to steer 20-11 after the interval. The Wolfpack hit its final 4 pictures of the primary, which was highlighted by Collins posting 11 of her factors and 5 of her rebounds within the opening 10 minutes alone.
The Pack opened up a 12-point lead (26-14) within the first two minutes of the second and by no means let the Seminoles get nearer than eight factors regardless of hitting a short scoreless drought. NC State scored 9 of the final 11 of the primary half, together with a 3 by James proper earlier than the buzzer to present the Pack its largest benefit of the primary half (35-20) on the break. The Seminoles’ 20 first-half factors was a season low for them, as had been the 9 second-quarter factors that NC State restricted them to.
The story remained the identical within the second half with the Pack displaying resiliency via early capturing woes however buckling down defensively to carry Florida State to only one other 9 factors within the third. NC State led 50-29 after three quarters and didn’t let the Seminoles get nearer than 21 factors within the fourth quarter.
The Wolfpack prepares for Sunday’s event finale, which is about to be televised nationally on ESPN with pregame protection on School Gameday.
