Rivers and No. 21 NC State host No. 24 Cal

Jan 8, 2025, 08:48 am

NC State Wolfpack (11-3, 3-0 ACC) at California Golden Bears (14-2, 2-1 ACC)

Berkeley, California; Thursday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 21 NC State visits No. 24 Cal after Saniya Rivers scored 23 points in NC State's 91-52 victory over the Boston College Eagles.

The Golden Bears are 9-0 on their home court. Cal has a 13-2 record against teams above .500.

The Wolfpack are 3-0 in ACC play. NC State ranks fourth in the ACC with 38.3 rebounds per game led by Rivers averaging 6.5.

Cal makes 46.2% of its shots from the field this season, which is 10.9 percentage points higher than NC State has allowed to its opponents (35.3%). NC State has shot at a 44.1% clip from the field this season, 7.5 percentage points higher than the 36.6% shooting opponents of Cal have averaged.

The Golden Bears and Wolfpack face off Thursday for the first time in ACC play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ioanna Krimili is shooting 41.7% and averaging 15.8 points for the Golden Bears.

Aziaha James averages 2.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Wolfpack, scoring 16.5 points while shooting 33.0% from beyond the arc.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Bears: 8-2, averaging 74.0 points, 36.0 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 5.2 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.0 points per game.

Wolfpack: 9-1, averaging 75.1 points, 40.0 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 6.7 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 43.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.