North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
13-6,6-2ACC
Louisville
18-3,8-0ACC
NC State Falls to No. 9/10 Louisville in Overtime
1/18/2026 4:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH – The NC State women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to No. 9/10 Louisville, 88-80, in overtime. The Wolfpack led by five with 44 seconds left in regulation, but Louisville tied the game at 74 with five straight points to send the game into overtime. NC State was outscored 14-6 in the overtime period.
The Pack was led by two 20-point scorers for the second consecutive game, led by Khamil Pierre's 26 points and Zamareya Jones' 20. NC State registered 17 assists on 27 made baskets and logged eight 3-pointers on Sunday.
Jones started things early with an and-1 and a 3-pointer, while accounting for eight of the Pack's first 16 points of the game. After a 6-0 run, the Pack led 16-8 at the media timeout with 4:32 left in the first. Jones kept up the hot shooting out of the break with her second 3-pointer and Louisville would get as close as seven the rest of the quarter, as NC State led 23-14 at the end of the first. Jones had 11 of her 20 points in the first quarter.
Louisville made the first two baskets of the second quarter and then Maddie Cox drained a 3-pointer. Qadence Samuels followed with one of her own and Pierre delivered a jumper, as the Pack led by as many as 11. At the media timeout with 4:38 left in the second, NC State led 31-22. NC State was then held in a five-minute scoring drought, allowing Louisville to go on a 8-0 run and cut the lead to three. Zoe Brooks beat the buzzer to dig the Pack out of its drought right before the half with a jumper, and NC State took a 33-28 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals scored the first four points to make it a one-point game, but the Pack responded on a 8-0 run, as Jones and Brooks made back-to-back 3-pointers. Louisville called a timeout, as the Pack took a 41-32 lead. Three straight Pierre layups then pushed the lead to 13 with four minutes left in the quarter. Louisville cut the lead to three with back-to-back 3-pointers after starting the game 0-for-11, using an 8-0 run to end the quarter. NC State's lead went back to three, 50-47, to end the third.
Louisville started the quarter with five straight points to continue on a 13-0 run and take the lead for the first time of the game to start the fourth, 52-50. Tilda Trygger knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 54 and then the Pack retook the lead off a Pierre layup. That lead was short-lived, as Louisville cruised on a 6-0 run, but the Pack chipped away to tie the game back at 64 after a Brooks reverse layup off a steal. Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game with 2:26 left. Pierre drove to the basket for a layup and drew contact for a 3-point play to put NC State up by three. Brooks was then fouled and made two free throws for a 7-0 run with the Pack leading 74-69 with 44.6 seconds left. Out of the timeout, Louisville quickly made a 3-pointer to put it back to a one possession game and then the Pack fouled off a loose ball to send Louisville to the line for two freebies. Neither team could find the game-winning bucket in the final 10 seconds and the game was sent to overtime, tied at 74.
Louisville had the first basket of the overtime period and used a 7-2 run to end the extra period. NC State was outscored 14-6 in overtime to drop the game 88-80.
PACK PERFORMERS
- Pierre matched her season-high 26 points for the second consecutive outing, while also adding six rebounds. She now has six games on the season with at least 20 points
- Jones finished the afternoon with 20 points for the second straight outing and her third 20+ point performance of the season. The sophomore also led the Pack with six assists
- Brooks rounded out the Pack's scorers in double figures with 19. The junior shot a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line in the loss, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists
- Samuels grabbed a season high and team-leading eight rebounds to go along with her seven points
- Trygger collected six rebounds and a career-high matching three blocks in the game
UPCOMING
The Pack will take the road to face Virginia on Sunday, Jan. 25 at noon. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.
