No. 12 NC State women’s basketball beats Syracuse in overtime. Three takeaways from the victory

N.C. State women’s basketball gave new meaning to the term “Cardiac Pack” in its Thursday game against Syracuse after pulling off an overtime thriller.

Boos filled Reynolds Coliseum after officials called Aziaha James for a foul on Alyssa Latham with 0.1 seconds remaining. Latham hit two free throws, tying the game at 66.

The No. 12 Wolfpack (24-5, 12-5 ACC) defeated No. 19 Syracuse (23-6, 13-5 ACC), 75-71, outscoring the Orange 9-5 in the extra period. Neither team led by more than eight points.

The emotional Top 25 matchup featured six ties, 10 lead changes and an official review after the regulation buzzer.

“That was a long game, especially since we thought we had the game in the bag in regulation,” Saniya Rivers said. “We just had to lock in. I think we locked in and made some big plays. We got the dub. Thank God.”

The victory snaps the Pack’s two-game losing streak, where it fell to North Carolina and Duke on the road.

“We came here with the mentality that we were not losing three games in a row,” Rivers added. “It was just unacceptable. We came here, and we got it done.”

Rivers led the Wolfpack with 22 points, while River Baldwin recorded her second straight double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds). Madison Hayes added 10 rebounds.

Dyaisha Fair finished with a game-high 26 points. Fair started with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the first quarter.

N.C. State ranks No. 3 in the ACC standings, winning the tiebreaker with Notre Dame. It has one more game, against Wake Forest on Sunday, which could push the team into second. It clinched the double bye in the tournament.

“It didn’t take much to realize how big this game was. I mean, you’re talking about a double bye in the ACC (tournament). You’re talking about positioning yourself to be one of the top 16 seeds and you get to host in the first and second round of the NCAAs,” coach Wes Moore said. “I’m telling you, it was as big of a game as we’ve been in probably this year. It was a lot on the line.”

Here are three takeaways from the Pack’s big win.

Defense makes improvements over recent outings

After losing back-to-back games, the defense looked more in sync than it has in two weeks — even with some streakiness.

The Wolfpack allowed the Orange to score just 10 points in the second quarter, shooting just 4 of 22 from the field. Syracuse also experienced two scoring droughts of nearly three minutes, missing seven straight buckets in those stretches.

N.C. State’s assertive approach only allowed Fair to score two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the second period.

N.C. State allowed a 10-0 Syracuse run to start the third quarter but held the Orange to five points in the final 5:33. It repeated that success by allowing just five points in overtime.

Rivers and River Baldwin said the team was 100% more intentional on defense than it has been, but it also brought more intensity.

“We had so much energy compared to our last two games,” Baldwin said. “When we bring energy on the defensive end, it really turns into offense and it carries us.”

They noted Zoe Brooks’ steal and free throws on the offensive end.

“Zoe defensively did a great job and tried to keep it out of Fair’s hand,” Moore said. “I mean, what do you say about Fair? I mean, she’s unbelievable. ... We went to a junk defense there in the fourth quarter and I thought it was really effective. Zoe kept it out of her hands, everybody else did their thing.”

The improved albeit unpredictable defense was a relief to see after the team’s recent issues. The Wolfpack gave up an average of 78 points in the last three games and topped out at 85 points allowed against Georgia Tech. Ultimately, it held the Orange to just 71 points, even with an additional five minutes.

NC State lacks in rebounding effort

Moore yelled in the second quarter for Brooks to “get your butt in there,” specifying the need for everyone to crash the glass. He extended a similar critique to Maddie Cox.

The Wolfpack led the Orange in rebounding after the first quarter, with most of it coming on the offensive end.

It gave up the advantage in the second quarter, however, after Syracuse pulled down 16 rebounds, including 10 o-boards. N.C. State had 10, and two on offense, in that same period.

Moore has talked extensively this season about the inconsistencies, noting that “great teams rebound.”

The Wolfpack finished with 40 rebounds to Syracuse’s 52 (26 OREB), though N.C. State’s offensive rebounds translated into 18 points.

Clearly, the rebounding consistency remains an issue. And in tight games like Thursday’s — and those the Pack will see throughout March — having an aggressive effort makes all the difference.

“They killed us on the offensive boards. We’ll have to look at the film and try to figure it out,” Moore said. “They’re a great offensive rebounding team. Ironically, they were eighth in the country in offensive rebounds. We were No. 2 in the country in defensive rebounding, but I think maybe they won that battle. They did a great job getting to the glass.”

Wolfpack struggles with layups

Another one of the Wolfpack’s weaknesses reared its head against Syracuse: Finishing layups.

N.C. State made things much harder — and the game much closer — than it needed to be after finishing 13 of 22 on layups. Some misses turned into points, thanks to the offensive rebounds, but the Pack wants more efficiency off the glass. A lot of that comes down to strength on the inside and powering through traffic or making the extra pass.

And that’s not a criticism of the team’s jump shots, but it’s imperative to make the easy buckets for a chance to make a run next month. Final Four teams need consistency, and toughness, in every area.