NC State Makes ACC Statement With Dominant Opening Win

NC State women's basketball opened up conference play with a road trip to Coral Gables, Florida, to face the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC opener. Head coach Wes Moore and the Wolfpack throttled the team from South Florida, beating the Hurricanes 87-61 with a balanced scoring approach and some dominant individual performances.

The road win helped the Wolfpack moved to 7-4 on the season and set the tone for what will be a crucial run through the ACC schedule should NC State have aspirations of making a deep run through the NCAA Tournament when the calendar turns to March in the new year.

Reviewing the Wolfpack's big win

Zam Jones — Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zamareya Jones (3) drives to the basket against the Southern California Trojans during the first quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

NC State set the tone early and came out shooting the ball far better than it had been over the first few weeks of the season. The Wolfpack went up early with a 16-4 run and rode the hot hand of sophomore guard Zam Jones, who finished the game with 16 points, nine of which came in the opening 10 minutes.

"(Jones) came out with a lot of energy, made some big plays and hit some big shots for us to start the game," Moore said of the start.

AND 1 Z!!!!

And she makes the FT! pic.twitter.com/KLfyTNTfK0
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) December 14, 2025

Jones said the team showed more attention to detail throughout the preparations for Miami, something Moore pointed out as a potential issues after a few of NC State's four losses earlier in the season. Defensively, the Wolfpack held the Hurricanes to a 5-of-18 start from the field in the first quarter, marking one of the best efforts on that end of the floor of the 2025-26 campaign.

"Our energy on defense led to offense," Jones said. "We're definitely locking in on the scout."

The other weapon for the Wolfpack in the win was forward Khamil Pierre, who tallied her seventh double-double of the year with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

NC State cruised throughout the second and third quarters, countering any Miami push with a run of its own. By the end of the third quarter, the rout was in as the Wolfpack held a 29-point advantage over the Hurricanes. Five different members of the Wolfpack scored in double figures, with Zoe Brooks, Destiny Lunan and Devyn Quigley all filling up the scoring column.

Quigley finished with 10, a new season-high, and got the start over Qadence Samuels once again. She buried a pair of 3-pointers, while Samuels scored just five points in 15 minutes off the bench. Sophomore forward Tilda Trygger finished with nine points, four rebounds and controlled the paint with a pair of blocked shots.

DQ for 3!@devynquigley is up to a season-high 10! pic.twitter.com/oPSJLMuf7n
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) December 14, 2025

The win was a step in the right direction for the Wolfpack, which struggled throughout its brutal non-conference slate. NC State will return to Reynolds Coliseum to face Georgia Tech in its second league contest Thursday night.

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