Despite Late Collapse, Zoe Brooks Shows More Fight For Wolfpack
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RALEIGH — Zoe Brooks entered the 2025-26 season with the burden of being the leader of a young NC State women's basketball team. In the team's loss to No. 9 Louisville, she carried that weight at times successfully, but ultimately came up short, as the Cardinals pulled away in overtime.
Even in defeat, Brooks embraced the challenge. While a home loss to the ACC's top team doesn't help the Wolfpack in the national conversation, the way the game played out once again proved how close the team is to being considered one of the top teams in the country. Brooks was at the center of that proof, driving the Pack forward while also making mistakes. Such is the burden of a leader.
Carrying the weight
TOO SMOOTH @zoebrooks35 pic.twitter.com/MdYQG3Xr5g
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) January 18, 2026
As she often does, Brooks picked her moments against Louisville. 10 of her 19 points came in the fourth quarter, as she twirled through the lane and drew contact repeatedly. The pressure she placed on a solid Cardinal defense kept the Wolfpack in the fight as the away team finally found its scoring ability. Eventually, Brooks and the Pack pulled ahead.
It looked like head coach Wes Moore finally got his senior-less team to the point where it grew up in games against ranked competition. However, the Wolfpack crumbled when it mattered most. Leading by five, all NC State needed to do was control the ball and make free throws. Brooks did the job at first, giving the Pack the five-point lead by burying a pair of free throws.
However, Louisville guard Imari Berry continued her onslaught against the NC State defense, burying a triple to cut the lead to a pair. Brooks needed to steady the ship. She and sophomore guard Zam Jones traded a few dangerous passes as the clock wound down. Eventually, Brooks dished it to freshman Ky'She Lunan in the corner, where she missed a 3-pointer. However, Brooks was there for the rebound.
Unaware of the exact situation, the Wolfpack's leader put another shot up right away, trying to put the game out of reach. It fell short. Berry took off before being fouled and making two free throws to tie it up. Had Brooks pulled the ball out of the paint, she would've been fouled with the shot clock turned off. Two free throws and a Wolfpack ranked win. Instead, NC State collapsed in overtime.
Instead, it's another learning experience for Brooks and her team in a season full of them. At times, it looked like the team turned a corner, but the youth and inexperience showed against the Cardinals. Brooks kept her head up after the loss, understanding the challenge Louisville posed to her and the Wolfpack as a whole.
"I still think that we're a very young team," she said. "We obviously don't have any seniors, so I feel like in moments like that, that's when seniors take over and lead, not just by example, but vocally. I feel like we're going to continue to grow as a team and we're going to get better in crunch time."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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