NC State women’s basketball coach Wes Moore probably was wondering if he had offended the ACC office in Greensboro when the Wolfpack’s conference schedule was announced.
Fresh off a fifth-place, 10-win conference record last season, one might expect to start ACC play with some of the middle- to lower-end teams from last season. But the Pack’s January schedule read like a who’s who of all of last year’s nationally ranked teams — beginning with three-time defending ACC champion Notre Dame, which arrived in Raleigh on Dec. 29 with a 12-1 record (the only loss to reigning national champ UConn) and a No. 2 national ranking.
“The folks in the ACC office kind of apologized to me,” Moore said last week. “They said we drew the short end of the stick, and I think they expected we might be in a hole pretty early.”
So much for those pessimistic predictions.
Heading into Thursday night’s home meeting with Miami — the third AP Top 20-ranked team NC State will play in succession — the Wolfpack is a stunning 2-0 in conference play after defeating the Irish 70-62 and No. 6 Florida State 70-61 Jan. 2 in Tallahassee, their first win over the Seminoles on their court in three years.
Last week’s victory over Notre Dame was historic in many ways: the first win for NC State over the Irish after five consecutive defeats; the Pack’s first win over a top-five team since upsetting then-No. 1 and undefeated Duke in the 2007 ACC Tournament semifinals; and the Pack’s first ACC-opening victory since a 67-61 win over Syracuse in 2014. It was also only the second loss for Notre Dame in ACC play since entering the conference in the 2013-14 season.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our kids,” a visibly excited Moore said following the game. “That’s a great team. I think I counted eight McDonald’s All-Americans [on the roster], and Muffet [McGraw] is a hall of fame coach. Any time you face great players and a great coach together, it’s hard to do what this team just did. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Focusing on limiting the Irish’s potent transition game and slowing down reigning ACC Player of the Year Brianna Turner in the post, NC State opened the game with a three-point bomb from fifth-year senior guard Dominique Wilson, who led the Pack with 18 points, and never trailed.
Turner, who entered the game averaging 15.9 points and 7.2 rebounds a contest, was hounded all evening by a rotating trio of juniors Chelsea Nelson (six points, four rebounds) and Akela Maize (six points, two boards), and sophomore Nae Nae Cole (four points, one blocked shot), and was double- and triple-teamed by the Pack’s weakside defenders every time she caught the ball low. The Irish’s All-American post exited the game with 2:21 left in the contest after fouling out with seven points and three rebounds.
NC State expanded a 34-28 halftime lead to as many as 19 (51-32) in the third period before Notre Dame, led by sophomore guard Marina Mabrey’s game-leading 22 points, battled back with a furious fourth-period rally that cut the Pack lead to five, 64-59, with 1:31 left. Six straight Wolfpack free throws — part of a 14-for-15 effort by the Pack at the stripe — preserved the stunning upset.
“They hit four threes in the fourth period, and shot 11 for 18 (61 percent),” Moore pointed out. “They were doing everything right, but we’ve got four seniors out there that provide a lot of leadership, and they showed a lot of toughness tonight.”
Senior guard Miah Spencer tallied 17 points and a team-leading six assists, senior forward Jennifer Mathurin added 11 points (making 3 of 6 three-point tries) and a team-high 10 boards for a double-double, and Williams chipped in six points, three assists and a steal. The Pack battled the Irish to a crucial 37-37 standoff on the boards and outscored ND 30-24 in the paint and 11-7 on fast-break points, normally the Irish’s strong suit.
“We got what we deserved,” a clearly disappointed McGraw remarked afterward. “They hit us early, and we never really recovered.”
“It’s a special night, a special win in this situation,” Moore said. “This is a great win — you have a few in your career, and we’ll enjoy it for a little while — but we don’t want this to be the high point of the season. We want to have a lot of other special accomplishments.”
Moore and the Pack got a second Christmas present— or maybe a New Year’s present — on Monday, when NC State once again survived a late rally and overcame a final FSU lead (52-51 with 8:18 to play) to go 2-0 in ACC play for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The Seminoles entered the game 13-1, their only loss a 78-76 squeaker to UConn on Nov. 14 — the Huskies closest game this season.
Mathurin (four points) buried a short jumper 18 seconds after FSU’s Leticia Romero gave the ‘Noles the lead, putting the Pack ahead for good. NC State once again hit its shots down the stretch, outscoring FSU 24-12 the final 10 minutes.
Wilson led NC State with 19 points, including a perfect 14-for-14 performance at the foul line — the Pack outscored FSU 25-7 at the stripe. Nelson earned her sixth double-double with 17 points and 12 boards against the ACC’s top rebounding team (the Pack lost the boards battle by just one, 37-36), while Spencer tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Spencer’s 29-point, 14-rebound and 10-assist effort in the Pack’s two games earned her the ACC Player of the Week honor, and the two wins over two top-10 teams earned NC State the NCAA Women’s Team of the Week award. The Pack also jumped into the USA Today Coaches’ Poll at No. 23.
The Pack, 11-3 overall, faces 14th-ranked Miami (12-2, 1-1 ACC) at home Thursday.
“That’s the tough thing about this conference,” Moore said. “Seems every team in it has a little number in front of their name. It’s going to be a challenge with three days between games.
“Sometimes I wish I coached football. At least you get to relax for a week between games.”
