NC State
27-6,16-2ACC
Vermont
21-13,13-3America East
Strong Second Half Propels 2-Seed NC State to First Round NCAA Tournament Win Over 15-Seed Vermont
3/22/2025 4:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH – The No. 9/9, No. 2-seed NC State women's basketball team elevated to a 75-55 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 victory over 15-seed Vermont on Saturday. Up by two points at the half, the Pack outscored the Catamounts 40-22 in the second half to help NC State pick up a 20-point win.
With the victory, head coach Wes Moore picked up his 300th win at NC State, holding a 300-94 record in his 12 years at the helm. The Pack earned its 22nd straight home win to improve to 17-0 at Reynolds Coliseum this season. NC State logged its 19th straight home win in an NCAA Tournament and Moore registered his 15th NCAA Tournament win at NC State.
NC State outrebounded Vermont 45-34 and logged 18 offensive boards with seven different players with at least one. The Pack had three players in double digits in scoring, seven players with at least four points and all 11 available players saw time on the court. Zoe Brooks paced the Pack with 19 points, while Saniya Rivers had her eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pack won the battle in points off turnovers (12-5), points in the paint (32-16), second chance points (21-8) and fast breaks (9-3).
Brooks helped the Pack get on the board first with a jumper, and with an Aziaha James 3-pointer, the Pack led 9-3 to begin the game. NC State kept pushing offensively to take a 10-point lead, 18-8, with 6:47 left in the first quarter. Vermont had a response with an 8-0 run, while the Pack was held in a scoring drought for the remaining 2:20 of the quarter. NC State led 18-16 at the end of the first.
The Catamounts kept the run rolling, extending it to a 10-0 one to tie the game at 18 to start the second quarter. Rivers then got the Pack out of the drought with a jumper in response. Vermont went on a 7-0 run and after a 3-pointer, the Catamounts took its first lead of the game. NC State trailed 27-24 with 4:10 left in the second. The Pack was held without a field goal for nearly six minutes until James found Rivers clear under the basket for a layup. Madison Hayes came up with a 3-pointer, which initiated a 6-0 run for the Pack to close out the quarter and lead 35-33 at the half.
Vermont tied the game for the fourth time to start the second half, and NC State had a response with five straight points highlighted by a Brooks and-1. Hayes knocked down a triple, as a part of a 6-0 run for the Pack, as NC State had the 48-40 advantage at the media timeout taken with 3:53 left in the third. The Catamounts got out of its scoring drought of over two minutes with a 3-pointer and Lorena Awou had a response with a putback basket. Vermont cut the deficit to four off its seventh 3-pointer of the game, but Rivers delivered a basket before the end of the quarter, as NC State led 52-46 at the end of the third.
The Pack started the fourth quarter with a 7-2 advantage and after a Brooks 3-pointer, the Pack jumped ahead by 11, 59-48. Vermont called a timeout with 8:10 left in the game. Vermont made a jumper on its first possession out of the timeout, but the Pack had a response with a Tilda Trygger layup. James delivered a basket through contact, which started a 6-0 run for the Pack, who took a 17-point lead, 69-52, with just over three minutes left in the game. After a Vermont 3-pointer, the Pack charged ahead with another 6-0 run. With a 23-9 advantage in the fourth quarter, the Pack won 75-55.
PACK FACTS
- Brooks led the Pack with 19 points off 8-of-16 shooting with five rebounds and one steal
- Rivers registered her eighth double-double of the season behind 15 points and 12 rebounds with one block and steal
- James registered 15 points and four boards (all on offensive end) with three steals
- Hayes finished one point shy of a double-double and picked up her seventh 10+ rebound game of the season with nine points, 12 boards and two steals
- Trygger logged eight points off 4-of-5 shooting with seven rebounds and two blocks
- Devyn Quigley delivered big minutes off the bench in her first NCAA Tournament game, finishing with four points and three boards, while Awou logged five points, also in her first NCAA Tournament
UPCOMING
The Pack will play the winner of 7-seed Michigan State vs. 10-seed Harvard on Monday, March 24. The game time and network designation is to be determined.
