North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
6-4,0-0ACC
Seton Hall
5-2,1-0Big East
Pack’s Defense Stands Tall in Second Half to Defeat Seton Hall
12/7/2025 4:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH – After trailing by five at halftime, NC State women's basketball came back in the second half by outscoring Seton Hall 33-20 to secure a 61-53 victory Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.
Maddie Cox had a career performance in the win with her first-career double-digit rebounding performance, finishing the game with 12 boards, seven points and two blocks, as well as drew two big charges. Khamil Pierre, who came off the bench, also delivered a big with 11 second-half points.
Seton Hall jumped to an 8-2 lead, as the Wolfpack went 1-of-7 from the field to start the game. The Pack then began to attack the basket, cutting into the deficit by one with a fastbreak layup from Destiny "Ky'She" Lunan and a free throw from Devyn Quigley. After going 0-of-6 from deep to start the game, Cox drained NC State's first triple of the game, and the Pack trailed 17-14 after the first.
Zamareya Jones knocked down two triples to begin the second quarter, giving the Pack its first lead of the game, 22-21, but that was short-lived as the Pirates responded with back-to-back 3-pointers. During that stretch, the Pack was in a six-minute scoring drought, allowing Seton Hall to go on a 10-0 run. Brooks got the Pack out of that drought with a layup, which initiated a 6-0 run for NC State. The Pirates got a basket before the buzzer to lead 33-28 at the half.
The Pack scored first in the second half off a Quigley putback, but the Pirates responded with four straight points to extend its lead to seven. Brooks delivered a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two, as the Pirates were in a three-minute scoring drought. NC State trailed 37-35 with 5:25 left in the quarter. Pierre made back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 39, and then Jones helped the Pack take the lead with a layup. The score tied up four times in the third quarter, and Lunan delivered a triple and Jones made two free throws before the quarter, as the Pack led 50-45 after three.
The Pack did not have any field goals in the first 5.5 minutes of the quarter and was held in a five-minute scoring drought to start the fourth. Seton Hall was also in an extended scoring drought of over four minutes. At the media timeout taken with 4:41 left in the game, NC State led 52-49. The Pack had its first field goal of the quarter off a Pierre layup and NC State took a seven-point lead off two Qadence Samuels free throws. The Pack outscored Seton Hall 11-8 in the fourth to pull out the 61-53 win.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Wes Moore Opening Statement:
"Obviously we have a long ways to go, and a lot of stuff to clean up, but I am proud of the effort in the second half. I think we gave up 20 points in the second half and only eight in the fourth quarter, so again great effort from that standpoint. It's been a tough week, a lot of kids have the stomach virus, and final exams are going on, so it's good to get the win. Hopefully they will have some time to recover here before we start ACC play."
PACK PERFORMERS
- Cox logged a career-high 12 rebounds for her first double-digit rebounding game of her career. She eclipsed her personal season-high early in the game with six first-quarter boards
- The junior also provided the Pack with a pair of blocks which matches her career-high
- Jones led the Wolfpack in scoring with 12 points. The sophomore also added seven rebounds and matched Brooks with a game-high five assists
- Pierre was NC State's other score in double figures with 11 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes on the floor
- Brooks provided the Pack with seven points, six rebounds, and tied for a game-best five assists
- NC State outrebounded Seton Hall, 51-38, for its sixth consecutive game outgaining its opponent on the boards
- The Pack's bench outscored Seton Hall's reserves 21-10, led by Pierre's 11 points. Lunan and Samuels each added five points for the NC State bench
- The Wolfpack outscored the Pirates in the paint, 34-22, and on the fastbreak, 12-4. The Pack also held an advantage over Seton Hall in second chance points, 13-2
UPCOMING
The Pack will open ACC play at Miami on Sunday, Dec. 14 at the Watsco Center. The game will tipoff at 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
