Smooth sailing: 3 takeaways from NC State’s win over Boston College in women’s basketball

Saniya Rivers stepped to the free-throw line and made them both, then turned around and walked back toward her teammates. Head coach Wes Moore motioned for Rivers to go back in, having the senior shoot the technical foul free throws as well. Rivers skipped back to the line, a smile stretching across her face. She made another.

It was that kind of day at Reynolds Coliseum.

N.C. State dominated Boston College from the tip, controlling the game on both ends of the floor to defeat the conference foe, 91-52, and earn its seventh straight win.

The Wolfpack out-worked the Eagles on defense, disrupting their typically fluid offense. On the other side, N.C. State (11-3, 3-0 ACC) moved efficiently on and off the ball.

“I think that’s something we emphasize, putting 40 minutes together,” Rivers said. “Even though we haven’t done it every game, I feel like moving forward, if we can put 40 minutes from the start to finish, then I think it’ll be really beneficial for us.”

N.C. State took a 28-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Rivers and Tilda Trygger combined for 15 points, with Rivers scoring the team’s first five, and went 6 of 6 from the floor. The team’s 28 first-quarter points set a season record and is 10 points higher than its season average.

The Pack continued its success through the second quarter, taking a 50-27 halftime lead over Boston College (10-5, 1-3 ACC). Its 50 points and 23-point advantage are highs in 2024-25 single-half scoring.

N.C. State didn’t slow down at all in the second half, scoring another 28 points in the third and 13 in the fourth, while holding the Eagles to 25 after the intermission.

Rivers said the team looks at halftime advantages from the opponent’s point of view, remembering there’s another 20 minutes to play.

“I think we just have to look at that and be like, ‘Listen, they still want to win. They’re still hungry. We can’t get comfortable,’” she said. “We just have to be humble and keep playing our game the way we got that 23-point lead.”

Rivers led the team with 23 points and 11 rebounds, her third double-double in the last six games. Aziaha James added 17 points, two rebounds and four assists. The seniors sat for most of the fourth. Zoe Brooks joined the double-double club, contributing 11 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals. It was the first time the Wolfpack had multiple double-doubles in a single game since Feb. 15, 2024, when Rivers and River Baldwin achieved the feat against Notre Dame.

Madison Hayes, Tilda Trygger and Devyn Quigley scored in double figures as well.

“I think we’re still work in progress. We don’t have the experience, the depth, maybe the firepower at all five positions this year that we had a year ago,” Moore said. “Our offense is going to be a little up and down because of that. But, it’s pretty awesome to have six people in double figures. Excited about that.”

While the offense finished with eye-popping stats, the Wolfpack defense set it up for success. N.C. State stifled Boston College, which came in averaging 74.3 points per game this season and held the Eagles to five assists.

N.C. State has become one of the more more disciplined teams in the nation, despite early concerns about ball control. It finished with 12 turnovers, one under its season average.

Former Wolfpack player Dontavia Waggoner was held to eight points on 4-of-14 shooting. She came into the game leading the Eagles with 13.4 points per game. Waggoner played for N.C. State as a freshman in 2020-21, earning an ACC Championship ring with the Wolfpack.

“We were locked in. We had a lot of fun. We were ready,” Brooks said. “We had a full week to prepare mentally and physically and just work on ourselves. I think that we did a good job showing that today.”

Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s commanding victory.

Special delivery: The basketball

N.C. State’s offense struggled earlier this season with movement, the team lamenting its struggles to move on and off the ball. It often played 1-on-1 against defenders, leading to turnovers and forced shots. Those were not an issue against the Eagles.

The Wolfpack recorded eight assists on 11 made shots in the first quarter. It added three assists on nine buckets in the second period.

It entered the game averaging 12.6 assists per game and notched 11 on 20 baskets in the first half alone. Several assists came on elite bounce passes from outside the lane and finding a shooter in the paint for an open layup. Trygger was the recipient of several assists and capitalized at the rim.

N.C. State’s ball movement slowed in the second half, as the team drove to the basket more, but it drew contact to earn trips to the line.

The Wolfpack records an assist on 45.6% of its shots, ranking No. 339 in the nation. It finished with 16 assists on 33 buckets on Sunday.

“If we can come in and play defense for 40 minutes, come in and score the way we were scoring, and share the ball like we were doing tonight, we can beat anybody in the country,” Rivers said. “And, we’re getting out transition to and having fun. That’s dangerous for N.C. State. Teams have to watch out for that.”

Trygger continues rise inside

Trygger earned her second start on Sunday for the Wolfpack, and she made an immediate impact in the post.

Trygger recorded six points on 3-of-3 shooting, her baskets coming on open layups after bounce passes, in the first six minutes of play. She added an offensive rebound as well.

She took a tumble in the second half, limiting her minutes. Still Trygger finished in double figures, scoring 10 points with three rebounds and a block.

Trygger had played about 20 minutes in the previous three games. She scored 14 points and 20 rebounds in that stretch.

“Tilda came out early in the game there (and) scored six points really fast,” Moore said. “That was good to see her finishing. But, at the end of the day, she only had three rebounds. We’ve got to have more out of that position. There’s always things that they can get get better at.”

Trygger’s contributions will be imperative going forward after the program lost Boston University transfer Caitlin Weimar.

The 6-foot-4 forward is no longer with the team after joining N.C. State in the offseason as a replacement for River Baldwin and Mimi Collins. Weimar underwent hip surgery in the offseason, shortly after moving to Raleigh. Weimar, a former Patriot League Player of the Year, has one season of eligibility remaining.

Weimar averaged 18.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.8 blocks last season.

Moore said Weimar’s injury and recovery have been more difficult than expected, including a benign cyst. The program needed to involve a second physician to help with her care, as well.

“There was no way she’s going to play, so (we) just felt like it would be easier on her to go home and and recover there and get treatment and rehab and all that,” Moore said. “She decided to take off this next semester, so that’s where we are with that.”

The Wolfpack has relied heavily on underclassmen Trygger, Mallory Collier and Lorena Awou. Graduate student Lizzy Williamson was scheduled to undergo surgery, as well.

N.C. State will likely swap out the starting center depending on the matchup, Moore said, but Trygger’s success in the Wolfpack’s most recent stretch provides confidence that it can have a positive post presence.

Wolfpack chemistry shines

Rivers and James dominated the backcourt with their scoring, but their connectivity impressed even more.

The duo seemed to always know where the other was on the floor at all times. They made several successful blind cross-court passes — one would be double teamed in the corner on the in-bounds and the other across the logo — earning “ooooohs” and “ahhhs” from fans.

There was only one instance of a major mistake, when Rivers overthrew a pass to James into the N.C. State bench.

“All the time, they shock me. I mean, every day in practice and the games,” Brooks said when asked about watching the duo. “It’s really fun to watch them play. I look up to both of them a lot. I’m definitely gonna miss them next year, but I’m gonna take a lot from them this year and try and do it for the next two years.”

While their ability to play off each other is special, they also developed a sense of trust among their teammates. Rivers found Trygger and Hayes for a couple of baskets, too, while she and James were on the opposite side of efficient passes from Brooks.

N.C. State looked like a shell of itself at times in the first two months. In its first three ACC games, the Wolfpack started looking together — like a potential conference and NCAA Tournament contender.