The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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30 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY ETHAN MCDOWELL C State wrapped up its 2022-23 regular season in the middle of the ACC standings after battling through roster attrition and injuries. The up-and- down conference perfor- mances were not what head coach Wes Moore and the rest of the team desired, but the team still pulled off several im- pressive victories. From the early-season nonconfer- ence road win over No. 10 Iowa, to an electric fourth-quarter comeback over North Carolina in mid-February, there were plenty of bright spots to highlight throughout the year. As the team prepares for the ACC and NCAA tournaments, here are a few reg- ular-season superlatives for Wolfpack women's basketball: Best Win: UNC The outcome looked bleak in the fourth quarter of NC State's matchup against No. 19 North Carolina. With un- der five minutes to go, the Pack trailed by 10. Clutch shooting, both from deep and the free-throw line, helped NC State get back into the game. Senior forward Jada Boyd and gradu- ate forward Mimi Collins both hit huge shots, and senior forward Jakia Brown- Turner knocked down a pair of threes to help cut the deficit to 2. Then, sophomore guard Aziaha James scored a tough floater with 13 seconds to go, sending the game to overtime. NC State dominated from that point on, outscoring the Tar Heels 15-4 in the extra period, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd at Reynolds Coliseum. After the game, James, who scored 18 points in the 77-66 victory, acknowl- edged that wins over UNC mean a little more. "We take every game personally, but, UNC, we definitely take it personally," she said. "We know they're down the road, so we always want that win." Best Single-Game Performance: Diamond Johnson Vs. Iowa NC State's most impressive offensive performance of the season came on the road against the 10th-ranked Hawk- eyes. Unfazed by a tough first quarter in which it managed just 13 points, the Wolfpack scored at least 24 points in each of the three quarters that followed. Johnson was a huge part of that scoring spree. The junior point guard played 38 of 40 minutes and made every one of them count, scoring a team-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. Going into the fourth quarter, NC State held a 10-point lead. Johnson, who also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 4 assists, controlled the matchup from there, scoring 13 points in the final 10 minutes to help secure the 94-81 win. Top Newcomer: Saniya Rivers Rivers, a former five-star recruit, won a national championship at South Caro- lina to end her freshman season, then transferred to NC State. The sophomore guard came off the bench early in the Wolfpack's campaign but eventually grew into a starting role. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Rivers had nearly twice as many steals (49) as her closest team- mate. She's been instrumental in the Wolfpack's transition offense, using her length to disrupt passing lanes, create turnovers and convert layups. NC State is a balanced team, and Rivers is one of five athletes averaging at least 8 points per game. Most Improved Player: Aziaha James James' role steadily expanded over the course of the season. Part of that was due to injuries and attrition in the back- court, but she took the increased play- ing time and turned it into an extremely productive sophomore season. The guard followed up her heroic performance against North Caro- lina with a career-high 20 points in 30 minutes at Virginia Tech, her first- ever start. NC State's matchup with the Hokies was also her first game playing point guard due to injuries to Rivers and Johnson. Whether she's creating chaos on de- fense and coming up with 50/50 balls, or creating space and knocking down a jump shot, James positively impacts the game in a variety of ways. "She always has our back," Rivers said in January. "She's going to be there flying around. I told her all the time she makes me nervous the way that she just flies around, the way she lands. She's always going to get the hustle plays, the rebounds, the dives on the floor, and she's definitely been big for this team." Team MVP: Diamond Johnson Johnson played through an ankle in- jury for most of the regular season and still was the team's only double-digit scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Despite missing five of NC State's first 27 games, she hit more three-point field goals (47) than any- one else on the Wolfpack. Johnson was recently named to the late-season watch list for the Dawn Staley Award, which honors the best guard in women's college basketball each season. Standing 5-foot-5, the ju- nior is an all-around star who averaged 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 22 games. When Johnson is finding open team- mates in transition and hitting her threes, she completely transforms the team's offense. That makes her the most valuable player on this year's Wolfpack squad. ■ POSITIVE THINKING Even Amid An Up-And-Down Regular Season, The NC State Women's Basketball Team Enjoyed Some Stirring Moments N