NC State’s huge night
NC State’s women advanced to the second round after outshooting Tennessee 76–61, powered by Zamareya Jones’ 30-point performance that carried the Wolfpack (ncaa.com). That 30‑point outing was the defining stat in a game that suddenly opens a much easier path forward for NC State in the bracket (ncaa.com).
Tennessee pulled down 41 rebounds to NC State’s 32, while NC State created 23 points off turnovers compared with Tennessee’s 18. (espn.com) NC State shot 51.0% from the floor (26-of-51) versus Tennessee’s 33.0% (24-of-73), and both teams were cold from deep — NC State went 3-of-11 from three and Tennessee 7-of-36. (espn.com) Khamil Pierre finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, marking her 26th straight double-digit scoring outing, while Qadence Samuels added 12 points and five boards. (gopack.com) NC State forced five turnovers in the first quarter and scored 24 points in the paint in the first half after opening the game by making its first eight shots to jump out to a 19-4 lead. ( ) Zamareya Jones logged 39 minutes and was credited with five steals, four rebounds and three assists in the game. (gopack.com) NC State advances to face No. 2 Michigan in the second round on Sunday, March 22 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor with the game scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET; Michigan won its opener 83-48 over Holy Cross. ( ) The victory was NC State’s 10th 21-win season under coach Wes Moore and improved the Wolfpack’s Round-of-64 record to 14-8 and its all-time NCAA Tournament mark to 36-30. (gopack.com)
