By Associated Press

In Charlottesville, Virginia, Mimi Collins led with 25 points and Saniya Rivers contributed 10 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists as the third-ranked North Carolina State team secured a 72-61 victory over Virginia on Sunday evening.

River Baldwin contributed 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Wolfpack (13-0, 1-0 ACC). Despite being down 32-31 at halftime, they dominated the third quarter with a 23-8 advantage. This mirrored their performance in their last game 11 days ago, where they scored 51 points in the second half, more than what Old Dominion could manage in their 87-50 defeat.

Camryn Taylor was the top scorer and rebounder for Virginia (8-4, 0-1) with 14 points and 15 rebounds, even though she had to sit out for a significant portion of the second half due to fouls. Kymora Johnson also scored 14 points, but struggled with only making 5 shots out of 22 attempts. Virginia entered the game ranked sixth in the country with an average of 47.6 rebounds, but they were unable to compete with the Wolfpack who dominated with a 56-44 edge in rebounding and a 32-16 advantage in points in the paint.

The tide of the game shifted rapidly in the second half. In the first 2 minutes and 45 seconds, Virginia was unsuccessful in their first three field goal attempts and committed four turnovers, resulting in a timeout being called. However, the Wolfpack’s initial 7-0 lead turned into a 12-1 run, giving them a steady 43-33 advantage.

In both halves, Virginia had a field goal percentage of 27.8% (10 out of 36 shots made).

BIG PICTURE

The Wolfpack from N.C. State, who were ranked sixth in the country and known for their defensive skills with a 32.3% opponent shooting percentage, showed their strength against the Cavaliers. Virginia struggled to make a field goal for 6 minutes and 49 seconds in the first half and went almost five minutes without scoring in the second half, allowing N.C. State to pull ahead.

Despite being a top program for many years, Virginia has only defeated a team ranked in the top three of the AP poll once in its entire history. They have lost six consecutive games against such teams. Their most recent win against a top three team was on November 20, 2011, when they beat No. 3 Tennessee in overtime with a score of 69-64. The team was coached by Pat Summitt at the time.

UP NEXT

North Carolina State’s first home game in the ACC will be against Florida State on Thursday.

Virginia will be playing against Georgia Tech on the road this Thursday.

Source: wralsportsfan.com