NC State
26-5,16-2ACC
North Carolina
27-7,13-5ACC
No. 7/8 Pack Advance to Fifth ACC Tournament Championship in Last Six Years with Win Over 14/14 North Carolina
3/8/2025 3:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The No. 7/8, 1-seeded NC State women's basketball team took care of business in the 2024 Ally ACC Tournament Semifinals, as the Pack defeated No. 14/14, 5-seeded North Carolina, 66-55. NC State led for 36 minutes, only trailing in the opening minutes of the game, and used a 21-0 run early in the contest to get the scoring rolling.
NC State outrebounded North Carolina 44-35 and won the battle in points in the paint (28-22) and points off turnovers (15-9). NC State also held UNC to under 30 percent shooting at 27.9 (17-61). The Pack had balanced scoring once again with three players in double digits and six with 6+ points. Aziaha James paced the Pack with 19 points and nine rebounds.
UNC struck first and jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, but that was the only lead the Tar Heels would have in the game, as the Wolfpack responded with an 8-0 run, fueled by Tilda Trygger. The freshman scored all of NC State's first eight points, including a 3-pointer assisted by James. By the first media timeout, the Pack held an 8-5 advantage. NC State's momentum continued as Zamareya Jones and Madison Hayes hit back-to-back triples, extending the Pack's run to 14-0. A Hayes layup pushed the streak to 16-0 before UNC's scoring drought reached over eight minutes. The Pack ended the first quarter with a commanding 16-5 lead.
Lorena Awou opened the second quarter with a basket, extending NC State's run to 18-0, followed by a James three-pointer to make it 21-0. UNC broke its scoring drought of over 10 minutes with a 3-pointer, and the Tar Heels went on a 7-0 run to cut the Pack's lead to 10. Despite NC State leading by as many as 17, UNC found momentum late in the second quarter, making four straight shots to narrow the gap. At the break, the Pack held a 33-26 lead.
NC State regained control in the third quarter behind James, who was fouled less than two minutes in and made both free throws. James continued her impact, hitting a turnaround jumper to extend the lead by 11 at 37-26. Hayes knocked down a 3-pointer to push the score to 42-28, and Awou added two free throws to keep the Pack in control. Mallory Collier finished a layup through contact and Rivers made a jumper to extend the Pack's lead to 17, 54-37 at the end of the third quarter. The Pack outscored UNC 21-11 in the third.
In the final quarter, James got the scoring started with a layup, and Brooks hit a buzzer-beater jumper out of the media timeout. Despite some late fouls and an offensive push from UNC, the Pack maintained control. Awou sealed the game with a layup off a pass from Rivers, bringing the score to 66-53 before NC State closed out the 66-55 victory.
The Pack's largest lead of the night was 21 points, as they held off UNC for the rivalry win to improve NC State's record to 65-56 in the all-time series and 8-7 in ACC Tournament games vs. the Tar Heels. NC State is also now 19-10 in semifinals games and 62-40 in ACC Tournament contests.
PACK FACTS
- James surpassed 1,500 career points, logging a team-high 19 points, nine rebounds and one steal
- Hayes registered 10 points, eight rebounds and one block
- Awou came up big off the bench, matching a career-high 10 points with three boards and one steal
- Trygger finished with eight points and three boards in just 18 minutes with a +21 +/-
- Rivers logged eight points, eight rebounds, two blocks and one steal
- Brooks finished with six points and seven boards
UPCOMING
The Pack will play the winner of 2-seed Notre Dame vs. 3-seed Duke in the ACC Tournament Championship game on Sunday, March 9 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
