The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/790572
72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY BRIAN RAPP betting person probably would not have put money on the proposition that fifth-year se- nior guard Dominique Wilson would be the NC State's lead- ing scorer for the second straight year. Es- pecially if that wager had been placed in November or December. Wilson, who with fellow senior Miah Spencer forms one of the most potent scor- ing backcourts in program history, opened the 2016-17 season seemingly where she left off after averaging a team-leading 15.3 points a game in 2015-16. She posted back- to-back double-figure scoring games in the Wolfpack's first two outings, including a career-high tying 23 points in an 80-40 blowout of Wofford Nov. 12. But then her totals plummeted. In the following 11 games, the Powder Springs, Ga., native reached double figures just three times. By the Pack's final game be- fore the start of ACC play, Wilson's scoring average had dropped to a career-low 9.3 points per game. Fast-forward to Feb. 22, with two games remaining in the regular season, and No. 22 had scored at least 10 points in all but one conference game. She led the Pack in scoring in eight of the first 14 ACC outings, including NC State's upset wins over con- ference leaders Notre Dame, Florida State and Duke, the top three in the standings as of Feb. 22. And her scoring average of 16.0 in conference games ranked seventh in the league. "I guess you could say I'm more focused for ACC games," Wilson admitted. "For some reason, I just like playing against bet- ter competition; I go harder, I guess. I can't really explain it. Part of it is I think maybe me and Miah [who was averaging 13.9 points per game in ACC play, 16th in the conference] are getting more opportunities because more plays are being called for us. "In our non-conference plays, Coach [Wes Moore] was giving a lot of people playing time — if you put my minutes together, I was maybe playing about two quarters. FOCUSING ON THE FINISH Matured Fifth-Year Senior Guard Dominique Wilson Is Flourishing In Her Final Season W i l s o n a v e r a g e d 1 6 . 0 p o i n t s p e r game in ACC play — seventh in the conference — while helping the Wolfpack win 10 of its first 14 league contests. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN