By james art 
NC State senior guard Asia James took the pass in the left corner as a defender draped her every move. But as she tried to create space, James faked a drive and used his deadly backstep to leave Virginia Tech Matilda Eh on the ground.
That opened up enough space for James to knock down her first 3-pointer of the game with a wide open look. That move, which she followed with an off-balance runner that James took home in the first quarter, signaled that the Virginia Beach, Va., native was on a different level against the Hokies.
James, who was on pace to outscore Virginia Tech in the opening frame, led NC State past the Hokies 85-57 by scoring 25 points Sunday night at Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack’s elite scorer also added five rebounds and four assists to help NC State win its fifth straight and snap a four-game losing streak against Virginia Tech.
While James was efficient on 10-of-18 shooting, the senior guard Sania Rivers added 17 points, and the senior guard Madison Hayes and Zoe Brooks scored 12 points each.
Here are three observations from the Wolfpack’s fifth straight win.
Lightning fast startup
It looked like the court was tilted toward the Wolfpack basket early on. Or at least that was the feeling when NC State started the game driving downfield with ease against Virginia Tech’s interior defense.
The Pack hit seven of its first nine shots in the first five minutes, which included five in a row. All of his attempts were inside the arc as NC State seemed to make a conscious effort to get to the rim — and easily did so.
NC State was able to continue its success as the period went on as it added a pair of 3-pointers from James to open a 16-2 run midway through the quarter. That allowed the Wolfpack to take an early 19-point lead while creating breathing room against the Hokies.
The Wolfpack had a 17-point lead by the end of the first quarter thanks to 76.5 percent shooting from the floor. James, who powered NC State early, seemed to make every shot she took as she had 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. The Pack’s dynamic guard matched the Hokies’ scoring output in the first 10 minutes.
NC State’s ability to run the ball allowed the Wolfpack to score 18 points in the paint, while its defense stymied Virginia Tech’s inside presence as the Hokies scored just 2 points inside the quarter. The Wolfpack set a new season best with 29 points in the opening period of the game.
An efficient and effective first quarter of action by the Pack set the tone as NC State outscored Virginia Tech the rest of the way.
Elite 3-point defense
NC State made it a priority to drive Virginia Tech from the 3-point line as much as possible. And it worked.
The Hokies, who entered the game with the ACC’s third-best offense from beyond the arc (36.6%), were unable to establish any rhythm against the Pack. NC State’s defense made Virginia Tech’s shooters uncomfortable all game, which seemed to get into the Hokies’ heads as the game progressed.
Virginia Tech shot 3-for-16 (18.8%) from 3-point range, including a 2-for-13 start through the first three quarters of action. NC State, meanwhile, went 4-for-10 from beyond the arc as it didn’t force long-range shots on the perimeter.
Rivers reaches 1,000
Rivers, who has been one of the faces of the NC State program during her three seasons in Raleigh, reached the 1,000-point milestone against Virginia Tech. The former South Carolina transfer eclipsed the mark on a free throw in the fourth quarter that gave her the 11th point she needed to accomplish the feat.
The Wilmington, N.C., native joined James as the two active 1,000-point scorers on NC State’s current roster. Hayes is next in line for the feat as she sits just 31 points away from her solid performance against the Hokies.
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