NCAA WBB: Wolfpack tops Radford 67-52 with room for improvement

Orin Day, Triangle Sports Network

RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. State Wolfpack beat the Radford Highlanders 67-52 at PNC Arena on Tuesday.

Led by double-digit performances from Dominique Wilson (17 points, 6 rebounds), Miah Spencer (12 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds), and Jennifer Mathurin (10 points, 7 rebounds), the Wolfpack assumed the lead just under four minutes following the opening tip, and never looked back.

Powered by 44-percent shooting (11-25) beyond the arc, N.C. State put together sizable runs, but committed numerous fouls and turnovers that allowed the Highlanders to score and stick around.

Big South preseason first team selection Aisha Foy put up 15 points for Radford and went 6-of-8 from the free throw line, while teammate Alexis Jackson added 10 points.

Even though the Wolfpack extended its season-opening win streak to three games, head coach Wes Moore wasn’t happy with his team’s performance.

“Give Radford credit – very well coached – and they came in here and played hard,” Moore said.

“They weren’t intimidated, but you know, I’ll take a lot of the blame. We looked like we hadn’t practiced. We didn’t know a lot of times what we were doin’ offensively, defensively. The foul situation – we keep stressing we gotta play defense without fouling, but we’re not gettin’ that done.”

After putting up two wins against Villanova (70-64) and High Point (89-48) on Friday and Sunday respectively, the Wolfpack continued on its roll against the Highlanders.

However, the quality of the win bothered Moore.

He didn’t think it was very good and apologized for his team’s effort.

Radford claimed 20 points in the paint, staying close on the inside to N.C. State’s 22, and also earned 15 points off Wolfpack turnovers.

The Highlanders scored first, but a three from Wilson tied the score at four apiece early in the opening quarter.

The Wolfpack quickly put together an 11-0 run and eventually carried a 19-10 lead into the next period.

Wilson stayed hot for the remainder of the opening half, shooting at a 50-percent clip, and helped N.C. State keep a modest 38-31 advantage at halftime.

By the end of the game, scoring from the perimeter was the key to success for the Wolfpack as five different players earned triples including Wilson (4-7), Spencer (1-2), Mathurin (2-4), Ashley Williams (2-2), and Camille Anderson (2-7).

However, scoring in the paint was a struggle.

“We’ve got kids that can shoot the three,” Moore said.

“I love the three, and we try to recruit kids that have that quality, obviously, on the perimeter, but we gotta develop some balance. I keep tryin’ to find a 5-player that will step up and be a threat inside.”

Whether it was starter Carlee Schumacher, or Chelsea Nelson off the bench, or even Mathurin patrolling the post, foul trouble limited the quality of defense they presented, and a lack of offensive finish late in the game didn’t help the Wolfpack on the scoreboard either.

Though leading by 20 points (64-44) with 8:06 to play, N.C. State’s scoring went dormant as a number of missed shots highlighted the final four-and-a-half minutes of play.

Radford equally didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to pull closer and enabled the Wolfpack to add another victory to its record, but with much room for improvement.

“Defensively, we needed to pick it up,” Spencer said of the team’s play during the final two quarters.

“We were lettin’ them get to the basket too easy. We were foulin’ them, givin’ them two shots. They barely made a field goal – they were at the free throw line the first half, so we made the adjustments on defense.”

While lack of offensive finish and defensive discipline plagued a fully-complemented roster of 16 players, including six freshmen, Moore is still trying to figure out where to slot them throughout the game.

It’s not an easy task deciding who to mix and match together so quickly during games at the beginning of the season.

That’s why he hopes and expects the players to eventually take it out of his hands as they now prepare for a three-game set against Liberty, Davidson, and Seton Hall over a six-day period starting on Friday in Lynchburg, Va.

“We gotta have some people step up, and we gotta figure out what our roles are,” Moore concluded.

“We’re runnin’ out of time. Our schedule’s gettin’ a whole lot tougher now. We’re not gonna be able to have these breakdowns and still be successful.”