Written by Pete Iacobelli, AP Sports Writer.

According to North Carolina State coach Wes Moore, Madison Hayes is finally living up to her potential on the court.

Hayes scored a personal best of 24 points, leading the seventh-ranked Wolfpack to their 15th consecutive victory over Clemson with a final score of 71-49 on Thursday night. This surpassed her previous top score of 21, which was achieved almost three weeks ago in a defeat against Virginia Tech.

This season, she is content to fulfill a scoring role.

Hayes stated that he was hesitant to take on that role last year. Instead, he focused on making open shots and guarding the top player on the court. However, he understands that this year, he needs to step up as a leader and not just focus on defense and rebounding, but also contribute in other ways.

Hayes accomplished this for the Wolfpack, who have a record of 17 wins and 2 losses in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with a 5-2 record.

North Carolina State started the game with a 13-2 run, thanks to Hayes’ two 3-pointers and an easy layup after she stole the ball. Hayes ended the game with three 3-pointers, the most on her team, nine rebounds, and two steals.

“Madison is currently performing at a high caliber. She is playing at the level I had expected when we attempted to recruit her,” stated Moore.

After starting the season with 14 consecutive wins, the Wolfpack’s record dropped to 2-2 due to losses against Virginia Tech and Miami on the road.

However, Hayes and the North Carolina State team quickly gained dominance in the game. Despite Clemson narrowing the score to 18-15, the Wolfpack responded with a 14-0 run to regain their significant lead.

Clemson’s Tigers (8-12, 1-7) were unable to retaliate and suffered their seventh consecutive loss. North Carolina State dominated Clemson by more than ten points, marking their 13th victory in 15 recent matchups.

The Wolfpack’s Mimi Collins scored a total of 14 points, while Saniya Rivers contributed 13 points to the team’s score.

North Carolina State’s leading scorer this season, Aziaha James, only managed to score seven points on 3-of-16 shooting.

Ruby Whitehorn was the top scorer for Clemson, scoring 11 points. Amari Robinson, who typically averages 18 points per game, only managed to score 10 points.

THE BIG PICTURE

NC State is a dynamic team that effectively distributes the ball to create scoring opportunities. These skills should help them stay competitive in the ACC. However, their two losses within the conference have put them one game behind top-ranked teams Syracuse, North Carolina, and Louisville.

Clemson: The Tigers opened 8-5 including a victory against Duke in their ACC opener. But it has been a difficult return to league play in January with Clemson falling to ranked ACC opponents North Carolina, Florida State, Syracuse, Louisville and Virginia Tech before getting slammed by the Wolfpack.

ACC STRUGGLES

Coach Moore expressed satisfaction with his team’s strong performance in the first half, leading to a 43-23 advantage at halftime. Despite being predicted to finish eighth in the ACC, the Wolfpack will need to maintain this level of effort in order to stay in the running for the championship. “The competition in this league is fierce and there is little room for mistakes,” he stated. “We still have a long road ahead and it only takes a few slip-ups to fall back into the middle of the pack.”

UP NEXT

On Sunday, North Carolina State will compete against Boston College.

On Sunday night, Wake Forest will visit Clemson for a game at their home.

Source: wralsportsfan.com