#1 Seed NC State’s Wheels Fall Off in the 2nd Half, Losing to #3 Seed Duke 62-76 in the ACCT Finals

The wheels fell off for #1 Seed NC State in the second half today in the ACC Tournament Finals, losing to Duke 62-76. The Wolfpack shot 46.4% in the first half, leading by 7 at the half, but in the second half, they shot 32.3%, which led to a 14-point loss.

It was tough to watch NC State’s lead trickle away. The Wolfpack led for 23:52, and Duke only led for 11:47.

Senior First Team All-ACC Guard Aziaha James, as usual, led NC State in scoring with 18 points, but it wasn’t a good performance. James is easily one of my favorite players ever to play at NC State, but today it seemed as if she was trying to force the issue, playing a version of hero ball, making only 7 of 21 from the field.

Guards Saniya Rivers and Zoe Brooks, who also earned First Team All-ACC honors, were more consistent than James. Rivers had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting 6 of 14 from the field and 3 of 4 from three. Brooks had 16 points, shooting 6 of 12. In my opinion, if James had realized today wasn’t her day and put the ball in the hands of Rivers and Brooks, Duke may not have been able to go on the runs they did.

The Wolfpack is still probably slotted to be a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and deserves all the kudos for what they’ve done thus far in 2024-25. NC State advanced to their fifth ACC Tournament Finals in the past six years and now holds the record for the most Finals Appearances with 19.