Current:Home > FinanceNC State stuns No. 2 UConn, beating Huskies in women's basketball for first time since 1998 -WealthRoots Academy
NC State stuns No. 2 UConn, beating Huskies in women's basketball for first time since 1998
View
Date:2025-04-12 12:57:48
RALEIGH, N.C. — Connecticut's second-ranked women's basketball team brought a lot of loud, aggressive energy into Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday.
And North Carolina State matched it.
The Wolfpack defeated the Huskies 92-81, the first time NC State has beaten UConn since 1998 and their first win in the last seven matchups.
Saniyah Rivers played a starring role for NC State (2-0) with 33 points and 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals, going toe-to-toe and then one-upping the Huskies' headliners, Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Aaliyah Edwards.
NC State, which lost its top four scorers from last season, took control late in the third quarter of what, until then, had been a seesaw battle.
"If you don’t show up early in the game, they can expose you," Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said coming into Sunday's game. His squad answered with an outstanding performance to set a high bar for this season as Rivers comes into her own with a hungry team in tow.
Here's more from the game:
Breakout performance
NC State freshman guard Zoe Brooks had hit double-figure scoring by halftime and her driving layup with 54 seconds left in the second quarter gave the Wolfpack a 3-point lead – the largest for either team in the first half. And she did it coming off the bench, in just her second game in college.
Brooks was a catalyst for the Pack offense early, slipping behind the defense and fighting through contact to finish. She leaked out on fast breaks to push tempo and disrupted UConn’s offense with her quick hands and feet.
Brooks finished with 12 points and she pulled down 4 rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
NC State's River Baldwin also had a huge game battling Aaliyah Edwards in the post. Baldwin finished with six points and six rebounds, but most importantly, she kept the Huskies from dominating the paint.
Huskies’ NC ties
Sunday’s game marked the completion of a two-season home-and-home series between the Huskies and Wolfpack, but Auriemma and Moore have crossed paths before.
One of Auriemma’s first jobs as an assistant coach was in the ACC. He served five years under Debbie Ryan at Virginia, going with the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament during his last two seasons in 1984 and ‘85 before heading to UConn.
Moore was still coaching at Jonson Bible College in Tennessee then, but he would serve as an assistant to Kay Yow from 1993-95 before becoming head coach in 2013.
And while the NC State-UConn series has seen 11 games, Moore and Auriemma have squared off just three times, with the Huskies winning all three. One of those matchups was the only Elite 8 game every to go to double-overtime.
UConn star Fudd is the daughter of former NC State women’s basketball player Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd. The elder Fudd was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1997 before transferring to Georgetown.
One of Auriemma’s biggest contributors during his early years at UConn was Shea Ralph, a graduate of Terry Sanford High in Fayetteville.
Ralph helped deliver the third of Auriemma’s 11 national championships with UConn as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2000. Ralph served on Auriemma’s staff for 13 seasons and was named head coach of Vanderbilt women’s basketball in 2021.
Up next
On Wednesday, the Wolfpack hosts Elon and coach Charlotte Smith, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the 1994 national championship game for UNC. Then, Rhode Island comes to Reynolds on Nov. 19th, and the Wolfpack heads to St. Thomas, US Virgin Island, for the Paradise Jam over Thanksgiving, where they’ll face Kentucky.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Judge warns Trump he could be barred from E. Jean Carroll trial
- In larger U.S. cities, affording a home is tough even for people with higher income
- You'll Cringe After Hearing the Congratulatory Text Rob Lowe Accidentally Sent Bradley Cooper
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- A county official vetoes a stadium tax for an April ballot, affecting Kansas City Chiefs and Royals
- Barking dog helps rescuers find missing hiker 170 feet below trail in Hawaii
- How long can ground beef stay in the fridge? Here's how to tell if the meat is still good
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Police in Brazil arrest the alleged killer of a Manhattan art dealer
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Boost for homebuyers: Average long-term mortgage rate falls to 6.6%, lowest level since May
- BAFTA nominations 2024: 'Oppenheimer,' 'Poor Things' lead
- Maryland Black Caucus’s legislative agenda includes criminal justice reform and health
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Prince William Visits Kate Middleton in Hospital Amid Her Recovery From Surgery
- Jennifer Lopez's tumultuous marriages on display in wild 'This Is Me…Now: A Love Story' trailer
- Maryland Black Caucus’s legislative agenda includes criminal justice reform and health
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Kate Beckinsale Slams BAFTA's Horribly Cold Snub of Late Stepfather
Where is the coldest city in the U.S. today? Here's where temperatures are lowest right now.
Rhea Perlman, Danny DeVito and when couples stay married long after they've split
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Sonic has free food for teachers and school staff this week. Here's how to redeem.
A man is acquitted in a 2021 fatal shooting outside a basketball game at a Virginia high school
Why Kaley Cuoco Doesn't Care What You Think About Letting Her 10-Month-Old Watch TV