3 NC State Women's Basketball Players Who Won't Be Back Next Season
The NC State Wolfpack's season is over and these players just played their final game.
By Cem Yolbulan
The North Carolina State Wolfpack women's basketball team's fantastic season finally came to an end on Friday night as they fell to undefeated juggernaut South Carolina, 78-59. It was a valiant effort as the Wolfpack stayed close in the first half and made it a one-point game at halftime.
The second half was a different story as South Carolina used their size and physicality to overwhelm NC State and when the shots stopped falling for the Wolfpack, things got out of hand rather quickly.
It was still the most successful season NC State had in a long time. They came into the season unranked and were projected to be eighth in the ACC. Instead, they were one of the most dominant teams not only in the conference but also in the country.
Fortunately for them, they will have most of their contributors back for next season. Among the nine players that saw minutes against the Gamecocks, seven will return. The star duo Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers will be back, better and more experienced.
However, the Wolfpack are still losing a few players who are either graduating or losing college eligibility. Let's take a look.
Lizzy Williamson, C
After transferring from Southern Utah at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Williamson was seldom used in the rotation. She was a deep bench option, getting minutes in garbage time or when foul trouble struck.
She will have an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID season but there hasn't been news about her coming back. Considering the fact that she only played 4.9 minutes per game in 19 appearances and that NC State is getting two frontcourt recruits in Lorena Awou and Tilda Trygger next season, Williamson will likely not be back.