RALEIGH, N.C. — Saniya Rivers stayed on the attack all Sunday, and her NC State teammates followed her lead to a stunning takedown of No. 2 UConn.
Rivers had a career-best 33 points to go with 10 rebounds and a dominant overall floor game to help the Wolfpack (2-0) beat the Huskies 92-81, earning the program’s first win against the Huskies (1-1) in more than a quarter century.
“I just knew I had to show up today for my teammates,” Rivers said. “Whether it was scoring, on the defensive end, giving assists to my teammates, it didn’t matter.”
Rivers, a rangy 6-foot-1 guard in her second year after transferring from South Carolina, had the size to shoot over defenders, operate as a playmaker and attack the basket. She finished with 5 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals in 38 minutes.
“By far the most dominant player on the floor today,” UConn Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma said of Rivers.
Aziaha James added 18 points for the Wolfpack, hitting the corner 3-pointer that started an 11-0 burst early in the fourth quarter to stretch out a 14-point lead and take control.
The game was a rematch of an NCAA Elite Eight matchup from 2022 that the Huskies won in double overtime, backed by a home crowd, despite NC State being a No. 1 regional seed. That, along with…
