CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami opened ACC play with a thud Sunday, falling 87-61 to NC State at Watsco Center. The Wolfpack turned it into a blowout with a 29-point first quarter and carried a 48-20 lead into halftime. The matchup gives Miami a loss in the league opener of Tricia Cullop’s second season, and gave the Wolfpack an early statement in conference play.
Khamil Pierre powered NC State with 21 points and 13 rebounds, bullying her way through the Hurricanes’ defense all afternoon. Guard Zamareya Jones added 16 points while wing Zoe Brooks chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. NC State Miami 49-31 on the boards and shot 47 percent from the field to go with 44 percent from 3-point range.
Ra Shaya Kyle scored the game’s first bucket, but NC State answered with a 16-2 run and seized control. Jones drilled back-to-back threes during that stretch, Pierre scored at will in the paint and the Canes struggled to locate shooters in transition. NC State held Miami to 7-of-30 shooting before halftime.
Miami never found rhythm against NC State’s length and physicality during those opening 20 minutes. Outside of occasional flashes from Vittoria Blasigh, the Hurricanes relied on difficult, late-clock shots and rarely generated clean looks at the rim. Cullop rotated lineups and tried different things on offense, but NC State swallowed most drives and forced the Miami to settle from deep.
After the break, Miami at least kept pace. Blasigh caught fire, drilling four threes on her way to a team-high 22 points. She sparked the only sustained Hurricanes push of the afternoon. Kyle finished through contact inside, Ahnay Adams kept attacking downhill, and Miami actually outscored the Wolfpack 41-39 over the final two quarters, long after the game had gotten out of hand.
Every Miami run was met by an answer from NC State’s frontcourt. Pierre controlled the glass on both ends, Brooks slashed into gaps for extra buckets, and reserve guard Destiny Lunan added 11 points, including a three that quieted a fourth-quarter Miami run. NC State piled up 38 points in the paint and 16 off turnovers, while Miami managed only 28 points in the lane and seven off giveaways.
Miami’s biggest problems surfaced in familiar areas: defensive rebounding and perimeter shooting. The Canes shot just 24 percent from three (6-for-25) and gave up 13 second-chance points, numbers that left little margin once NC State built its early lead.
Kyle delivered a bright spot with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in the loss, while Adams added 13 points. Freshman guard Amarachi Kimpson chipped in 11 points and showed flashes as a secondary creator. Point guard Gal Raviv endured a rough afternoon, going 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-4 from three, though she did grab three steals.
The loss dropped Miami to 6-4 overall and 0-1 in ACC play, while NC State moved to 7-4 and 1-0. Miami heads to Wake Forest Thursday before returning home for Kennesaw State on Dec. 21. After a promising nonconference run under second-year coach Tricia Cullop, this group now needs a response in Winston-Salem to avoid an 0-2 ACC start.
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