Jada Boyd scores 22, but UVA defeats NC State

After picking up a big win on the road against Wake Forest Thursday, NC State fell to UVA 71-59 Sunday afternoon. The loss drops the Wolfpack down to 17-8 on the season and 7-7 in the ACC.

Sunday was Jada Boyd’s birthday, and she played one of her best games of the year, leading the Pack with a season-high 22 points on 9 of 19 shooting. Boyd and Jakia Brown-Turner, who finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds.  

NC State moved the ball well early. Brown-Turner scored the game’s first points less than 10 seconds into the game, and the Pack pushed the pace in transition in the opening minutes. The tempo of the game did not lead to a ton of points, but Boyd put together an excellent quarter and scored 7 points in the first quarter. 

The first quarter ended in a 12-12 tie in-part due to Boyd’s scoring burst and 6 rebounds by Saniya Rivers.

Both teams started the second quarter 1 of 7 from the field. NC State only scored 3 points, a three-point shot by Rivers, in the first 6 minutes of the period. Rivers continued to make plays in her second-consecutive start, grabbing 8 total rebounds in the first half and ending the game with 13. 

The Wolfpack’s offense started to head up in the final minutes of the half, with Aziaha James hitting a 3 and Diamond Johnson, who led NC State with 6 assists, hitting her first shot of the day. UVA countered with 4 made field goals in 5 attempts to help maintain its lead.  

Virginia played Sunday without Mir McLean, the Cavaliers’ top rebounder and second-leading scorer, and that had a significant impact in the first half. Virginia is the ACC’s third-best rebounding team, averaging 42.6 boards per game, but NC State grabbed 9 offensive rebounds in the first half and held the hosts to 4. UVA led 28-24 at halftime. 

After shooting 40.6 percent in the first half, Virginia started the third quarter hot, opening up an early 9-0 run to expand its lead to 12. NC State turned the ball over 5 times in the third quarter and trailed 48-36. 

NC State made a significant push in the final period, starting the quarter on a 7-2 run highlighted by 4 points by James in 16 seconds. That scoring burst was followed by a 9-0 run by Virginia, and the Wolfpack did not score again until the 3:07 mark in the fourth quarter. 

Boyd scored 10 points in the final period, and the Wolfpack forced 7 turnovers, but the Cavaliers held off NC State and wrapped up the ACC matchup with a 12-point win. 

The Wolfpack returns to the court Thursday, Feb. 16, for a showdown at home with North Carolina.