NC State turned suffocating defense into offense vs. Chattanooga

NC State knew the scouting report on Chattanooga. The Mocs were the top three-point shooting team in the Southern Conference and fielded a starting lineup significantly shorter than the Wolfpack. 

For all 40 minutes of the program’s 64-45 NCAA Tournament round of 64 victory, NC State dismantled Chattanooga’s offense and held its opponent to its lowest scoring total of the 2023-2024 season.

Only one member of the Mocs’ roster hit more than one three. Chattanooga finished the game 3 of 15 from deep and, in the second half, the Southern Conference program only attempted 4 shots from three. The Wolfpack sold out to stop the Mocs’ bread and butter from behind the arc, holding the program to fewer than 10 points over each of the first three quarters Saturday. 

“That was our main focus,” graduate forward Mimi Collins said after the game. “Don’t let any threes get off because like that can be a ballgame for them… If you close long, you have somebody behind you that is going to help you, and then we can scramble from there.”

Neither team shot above 30.8 percent in the first half Saturday. The Mocs completely collapsed their defense, double teamed the Pack constantly and left shooters open. NC State hit 2 of 13 first half attempts from three but also held Chattanooga to 1 make from distance in 11 attempts. 

Senior guard Madison Hayes knew that the Mocs brought two elite shooters off the bench. Freshman guard Caia Elisaldez shoots 53.3 percent from three. 

Hayes shouted out freshman guard Zoe Brooks and the rest of the Pack for their collective perimeter defense that held the Mocs to 20 percent shooting from three. 

“Zoe did a really good job coming off the bench for us,” Hayes said. “Everybody on the floor did a really great job.”

Chattanooga’s 45 points is tied for the third-fewest points scored against NC State this season. The Wolfpack held Elon to a season-best 35 points Nov. 15. When the Mocs ended the game on a 9-0 run after head coach Wes Moore sent in the reserves, it equaled their highest scoring total for any prior quarter. 

“I’m proud of our effort, especially on the defensive end,” Moore said. “They have a lot of kids that shoot the three extremely well and can get to the rim. And so to hold them to single digits the first three quarters was a great accomplishment.”

NC State blocked 4 shots and recorded 5 steals against the Mocs, finishing the matchup with 13 points off of turnovers. Junior guard Saniya Rivers forced two of those turnovers. She averages 2.3 steals per game, a career-high for the All-ACC first teamer. 

Forced turnovers that turn into easy points, one of Rivers’ specialties all season long, serve as confidence builders as well.

Hayes, who guards everyone from power forwards to point guards for the Pack, swiped a steal and turned that into an and-one bucket. Those points snowballed into a 9-0 run, and the sold-out Reynolds Coliseum had their backs. 

“When we get in a drought or get stagnant, the fans really bring the energy and allow us to get going again,” graduate center River Baldwin said. “One good play, they’re gonna bring all that energy, and we feed off of that.”

This game was a unique matchup for Baldwin. At 6-5, she matched up against 6-0 Chattanooga post player Karsen Murphy. The center grabbed 6 offensive rebounds, 11 total, against the Mocs. None else grabbed more than 1 offensive board. 

Her presence was critical to the Wolfpack win and, in order to mitigate the size difference, Baldwin focused on moving her feet during this matchup to prepare for the Mocs’ pick and pop. 

Now, she has to prepare for a Tennessee squad that includes 6 rotation players who stand 6-2 or taller. Baldwin has until Monday to make that mental switch from playing a shorter team to competing against one of the few post players in the country who stands taller than her. Volunteers center Tamari Key is listed at 6-6. 

The Wolfpack graduate student is ready to start preparing Saturday night. Baldwin trusts the staff, so she’s ready to buy into the scouting report and brace for Tennessee’s SEC physicality. 

NC State won this game with its own imposing presence, relying on suffocating defense to pull off the victory. Rivers said the team doesn’t want to rely on its defense completely, but the Pack is not afraid to embrace that end of the court.

“If nobody’s hitting, the least we can do is make sure they don’t hit so then defense turns into offense,” Rivers said.