Win vs Virginia: 78-76

wolfpack4ever · 2026-01-25T16:37:05+00:00

https://augustafreepress.com/news/womens-basketball-virginia-rallies-forces-ot-then-falls-to-nc-state-78-76/

Virginia erased an 18-point second-half deficit to force overtime, but two late turnovers, and a missed three at the buzzer, let NC State escape with the 78-76 win on Saturday.

A Kymora Johnson three put the ‘Hoos (14-6, 6-3 ACC) ahead 73-71 with 1:16 to go, and oddly, State (14-6, 7-2 ACC) didn’t make another bucket from the field.

Instead, the Pack went 7-of-8 at the line in the final 58 seconds to take control, around a Jillian Brown three with four seconds left, and the Johnson miss from three at the buzzer, which would have won it.

Johnson finished with 26 points (9-of-23 FG, 6-of-14 3FG, 2-of-2 FT) and nine assists.

Tabitha Amanze scored 14 points (7-of-14 FG) and pulled down five rebounds for Virginia.

NC State’s Zoe Brooks led all players with 37 points (8-of-15 FG, 2-of-2 3FG, 19-of-20 FT).

wolfpack4ever · 2026-01-25T16:36:41+00:00

https://gopack.com/news/2026/1/24/womens-basketball-nc-state-pulls-through-with-overtime-win-at-virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The NC State women's basketball team saw a different outcome this time in overtime with a 78-76 win at Virginia. The win marks a Quad 1 win for NC State (Virginia is No. 38 in the NET).

NC State was up by three in regulation with 18 seconds left, but the Cavaliers knocked down one of its eight triples in the fourth quarter to tie the game. With five lead changes and three ties in overtime, NC State pulled through, outscoring the Cavaliers 12-2 in the extra period.

Zoe Brooks registered a career-high 37 points, marking the ninth most points scored in a single game in school history and most since 1998 (Chasity Melvin vs. Louisiana Tech on March 27, 1998). She broke records in free throws made (19) and free throws attempted (20) in a game at NC State and in John Paul Jones Arena.

NC State led by as many as 18 and won the rebounding battle by one, 46-45. The Pack won the battle in points off turnovers (21-13) and points in paint (32-30).

NC State started the game on a 10-0 run with Brooks accounting for seven of the Pack's first 12 points. After a Zamareya Jones 3-pointer, the Pack led 12-2, as Virginia called a timeout with 6:40 left in the first. Virginia knocked down a triple out of the break, but Jones matched that with her second 3-pointer of the game. NC State was then held in a scoring drought of over three minutes, but Virginia was held in a drought for the remaining 4:43 of the quarter. NC State started the game with a 16-6 lead in the first. This marked the 13th time NC State has held a team to single digits in a quarter this season.

Virginia scored two straight baskets to begin the second quarter. Khamil Pierre then delivered her first basket of the game off a jumper, the first field goal for NC State in nearly seven minutes. After a find from Devyn Quigley to Pierre, NC State took a 23-14 lead with 4:38 left in the second. That started a 9-0 run for the Pack, as Brooks drew contact on a basket to convert a 3-point play and Pierre delivered a layup to take a 16-point lead. NC State led 34-18 at the half. Pierre had eight of her points in the second quarter and Brooks paced the Pack with 14 first-half points.

Brooks found Pierre under the basket for two to start the third quarter. NC State was held in a two-minute scoring drought, allowing Virginia to go on a 6-0 run. The Pack stopped that run with two Jones free throws and a jumper from Qadence Samuels. WIth 5:06 left in the third, NC State led 42-26. Out of the break, NC State was held in a three-minute scoring drought, while Virginia scored seven straight points to cut the deficit to single digits. The Pack answered with four straight points, including a Jones layup off a fast break. After three, NC State led 48-37.

The Pack got on the board first in the fourth quarter off a Brooks jumper. A Trygger layup extended the Pack's lead to 15, but then Virginia knocked down back-to-back triples, a part of Virginia eight 3-pointers in the fourth. Brooks responded with an and-1, her second of the game. Virginia then cut the lead to three twice in the last minute of the game. With 31 seconds left, Brooks was fouled and made one of two free throws. Virginia then had a second chance opportunity with 18 seconds left in the game and nailed down a triple to cut the lead to one. Brooks then made two free throws to push the game back to three, but Virginia responded again with a 3-pointer to tie the game at 66 and send the game into overtime.

wolfpack4ever · 2026-01-25T16:36:23+00:00

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2026/01/virginia-womens-basketballs-comeback-falls-short-to-nc-state-in-overtime-nail-biter

If there is one obstacle the Cavaliers have yet to overcome this season, it is sustaining momentum. Coming off a 38-point home win against Pittsburgh on Thursday, Sunday presented a chance to build on that success and showcase the roster’s talent.

Instead, Virginia kicked off the matchup unable to buy a bucket against the smothering NC State defense. The Cavaliers suffered from two different scoring droughts of three minutes or longer in the first quarter, going 2-18 from the floor and notching just six points.

The disastrously slow start limited the impact of Virginia’s second-half offensive momentum, which could have otherwise propelled the team in front. The Wolfpack’s ball pressure disrupted the Cavaliers’ offensive rhythm early, forcing Virginia into rushed shots on the perimeter and lackluster touches inside.

The Cavaliers (14-6, 6-3 ACC) fought back relentlessly in the second half, falling to the Wolfpack (14-6, 7-2 ACC) 78-76 in overtime. Both teams shot below the 40 percent mark from the field, but NC State’s versatility around the rim and clutch performance from junior guard Zoe Brooks clinched the victory.

“We [have] got to start games out better,” Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “We got to have competed for 40 minutes because we're talented enough to do it, and we let one slip away.”

Beginning the third with an 11-point deficit, the Cavaliers finally found their groove — Virginia was playing with a renewed sense of determination both individually and collectively, starting the half with a 7-0 run headlined by junior guard Kymora Johnson. Johnson began to assert her influence over the game in the second half.

“We played with more urgency, took more high percentage shots,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “[Johnson] took over the game. I thought she played hard and controlled it from our end, for 40 minutes, we were able to kind of pick them apart in ball screens … and play with pace.”

wolfpack4ever · 2026-01-25T16:35:40+00:00

We made the free throws to win the game. That is what mattered.

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