NC State
5-3,0-0ACC
Ole Miss
5-3,0-0SEC
Pack Pulls Out Ranked Win Over No. 18 Ole Miss in SEC/ACC Challenge
12/5/2024 10:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State women's basketball (RV/24) pushed past No. 18/18 Ole Miss, 68-61, in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Pack took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Ole Miss made a late charge, outscoring NC State 23-13 in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to two with two minutes left in the game. Aziaha James then made a clutch 3-pointer and Zoe Brooks and Saniya Rivers knocked down their free throws down the stretch to help the Pack capture its first ranked win of the season.
The Pack crashed the glass well on Thursday, outrebounding the Rebels 45-35, as well as owned the advantage in second-chance points, 15-9. NC State shot 46.3 percent from the field (25-of-54) and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-14).
Rivers got the Pack going on its first possession with a 3-pointer. After back-to-back Brooks' layups, the Pack got out to a 9-0 advantage, as Ole Miss called a timeout. The Rebels got their first basket off a jumper after five minutes and following the break. Rivers knocked down another triple to record eight of her 10 points in the first quarter. Lorena Awou delivered a basket through contact, and at the end of the first quarter, NC State led, 19-6. Six points is the lowest amount of points a Pack opponent has scored in a quarter this season.
Zamareya Jones opened the second quarter with a tough 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring. She went 4-of-4 from downtown in the second quarter alone. The Pack then committed four turnovers in three minutes, allowing Ole Miss to go on an 8-0 run. NC State did not have a field goal until Jones drilled her second triple of the game to elevate the Pack ahead by 10. Out of the timeout, Jones made her third triple of the game as time expired and Brooks followed with a basket and a 3-pointer of her own, a part of an 8-0 run, as the Pack led 34-18. The Rebels broke its three-minute scoring drought with a 3-pointer, but Jones followed quickly with NC State's seventh triple of the night. At the half, the Pack led, 37-21.
James opened the third quarter with a basket through contact. A Brooks layup pulled the Pack on a 10-4 run to open the second half, forcing Ole Miss to call a timeout, as NC State led 47-25 with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Awou got a pass from James for a layup to extend the Pack's lead back up to 22. Ole Miss finished the quarter on a 5-2 run in the final minute of the frame, and NC State went into the fourth quarter with a 55-38 advantage.
The Rebels opened the fourth quarter on a 3-0 run, and then Jones knocked down a second-chance jumper. Ole Miss scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 12, but then Mallory Collier delivered a layup off a miss. NC State was held in scoring drought, allowing Ole Miss to go on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to four with 3:10 to play. Madison Hayes broke the Pack's four-minute scoring drought with a tough jumper as the shot clock expired, but Ole Miss knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two with 2:01 remaining in the game.
James came up big, knocking down a 3-pointer to pull the Pack ahead by five. The Rebels responded with two free throws, but the Pack closed out the game going 4-of-4 from the line with Brooks and Rivers making their free throws to seal the 68-61 win.
PACK FACTS
- Brooks led the Pack in scoring with 19 points off 8-of-13 shooting from the field with three boards, two assists and two steals
- Jones logged 14 points off the bench, going 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point for her third double-digit scoring game of the season. She added five rebounds and one block
- James registered 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and tied a career-high four steals
- Rivers logged 10 points, six rebounds and four boards
- Aggressive on the boards, Hayes pulled down a season-high nine rebounds, adding to six points and two blocks
- Collier recorded a career-high nine rebounds, including five offensive boards in 28 minutes
- Awou was productive in 12 minutes, logging five points and four boards
UPCOMING
The Pack stays at home at Reynolds Coliseum to host Old Dominion on Sunday, Dec. 8 for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
