GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – Aziaha James scored 23 points, Mimi Collins added 17 points and 13 rebounds and No. 10 NC State beat Florida State on 69-43 Saturday to advance to the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game for the fourth time in five seasons.
River Baldwin chipped in with seven points and 11 rebounds for second-seeded NC State, which has rattled off four straight wins since consecutive double-digit road losses at North Carolina and Duke last month.
NC State outrebounded Florida State 58-32 and held the Seminoles to 25% shooting from the field.
The Wolfpack (27-5) will face nationally No.14 ranked Notre Dame (25-6) in Sunday’s 1 p.m. championship game. The fourth-seeded Irish hammered defending tournament champion and 11th-ranked Virginia Tech, playing without
three-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley, 82-53 in Saturday’s earlier semifinal game.
NC State beat Notre Dame 59-43 on Feb. 15 in South Bend, Indiana.
Ti'Naya Latson had 16 points for Florida State (26-6), which will now await its NCAA Tournament seeding.
The Wolfpack won the ACC title in 2020, 2021 and 2002 but failed to reach the title game last season.
Now head coach Wes Moore’s squad is back and looking to reestablish its dominance.
NC State relied heavily Saturday on Baldwin, repeatedly pounding the ball inside to the 6-foot-5 center who had a significant size advantage. Baldwin's presence freed up James and Collins to make shots.
This was NC State's game from the early moments.
Saniya Rivers' 3-pointer just two minutes in gave the Wolfpack a 6-5 lead it would never relinquish.
NC State pushed its lead to 20-11 after the first quarter behind 11 points from Collins, then extended the lead to 15 after James buried a 3-pointer from the left wing in the closing seconds of the first half. That momentum carried over to the second half, with Rivers knocking down a jumper at the end of the third quarter to give the Wolfpack a 50-29 lead.
Of Note
- NC State reached the ACC Tournament finals for the 18th time.
- The Wolfpack now stands 60-39 all-time in the ACC Tournament, including a 32-20 mark at the Greensboro Coliseum.
- NC State improved to 7-0 all-time versus FSU in ACC Tournament play. The Wolfpack leads the all-time series between the schools 35-17, including an 88-80 win in this year’s regular-season meeting on Jan. 4 in Raleigh.
- Florida State slipped to 17-33 overall in the ACC tourney, including a 16-24 mark in Greensboro. The Seminoles are 2-5 in semifinal games.
- Three Wolfpack players grabbed double-digit rebounds on Saturday to key NC State to its whopping 58-32 advantage on the boards. Mimi Collins led the way with 13 rebounds, River Baldwin added 11 and Madison Hayes had 10.
- With her nine-rebound effort, Florida State’s Makayla Timpson just missed her 18th double-figure rebounding game of the season. Timpson, who had a career-high 18 rebounds in Friday night’s quarterfinal win over Wake Forest, averaged 13.3 rebounds in her three 2024 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament games.
- The Seminoles were playing well entering the semifinals, having won six of their previous seven games. They will make the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in 19 years, but will need to regain momentum.