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No. 22 NC State dominated Louisville 72-42 Sunday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center in what turned out to be the worst shooting game for the Cardinals this season.
The Wolfpack led the game, also the ACC opener for both teams, 10-0 within the first three minutes of the first quarter and kept the Cardinals scoreless until halfway through the opening period. NC State freshman guard Zamareya Jones entered the game during the first quarter and helped run the score up to 19-4 until Louisville senior forward Nyla Harris landed a layup to lead the team into the second quarter 13 points down.
Jones was just as hot when the second opened, earning 16 points by the seven-minute mark. The Wolfpack were up by 20 heading into the break—and nearly 30 points ahead by the beginning of the fourth quarter.
In addition to Jones, senior guard Saniya Rivers had a tremendous game. Rivers earned a double-double with 14 points and 13 assists, senior guard Aziaha James picked up 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists and sophomore guard Zoe Brooks landed 11 points and three assists. The Wolfpack also benefited from open looks at the basket and shot 36.8 percent from the 3-point range, up from their season average 34.1 percent.
Overall, the Cardinals struggled to find their footing throughout the game. In a postgame interview on the court, head coach Jeff Walz expressed disappointment that largely indicated the team needs to work harder and be better. Despite being home to one of the most exciting freshman classes in the country, Louisville was outpaced, outshot and outperformed by NC State—over and over again.
Senior forward Olivia Cochran, who racked up eight points and four rebounds, was a hard-nosed leader for the team, but was repeatedly left on her own while being double-teamed in the post, which happens when a team isn’t hitting their outside shots. Freshman guard Tajianna Roberts didn’t have her best shooting game, but clocked a reasonable seven points and also added three steals, which boosted her to a team-high 20 for the season. Harris continued to prove she can be counted on to be where she needs to be, but, like the team as a whole, her shooting left a lot to be desired.
“[A loss like] that shouldn’t happen here,” Walz said. “That doesn’t happen here. I told them if I’m a guard on this team and I’m a shooter, I’m going to the gym tonight….to be honest, it’s repetition,” Walz said. He added, “I take the blame,” but also called his team out. “No one’s coming here and working like it used to be.”
Louisville heads to Memphis on Saturday, Dec. 21, while NC State will next face off against James Madison on Thursday, Dec. 19.
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