NC State Wraps Up Non-Conference Slate with a Close Call

RALEIGH — After his team's dominant win over Georgia Tech, NC State women's basketball coach Wes Moore shared his concern about facing one final non-conference opponent before the team broke apart for a break around Christmas. He was proven right, as the Davidson Wildcats gave NC State all it could handle before the Wolfpack pulled out a 68-59 win on the road.

After storming out to a significant lead in the first quarter, the Pack took its foot off the gas and allowed the Wildcats to shoot their way back into the game. However, sophomore guard Zam Jones and junior forward Khamil Pierre took over and held off the furious comeback attempt.

How the Wolfpack pulled it out

Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Khamil Pierre (12) controls the ball against the Southern California Trojans during the second quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

In a similar manner to the third quarter against Georgia Tech, when the Wolfpack held the Yellow Jackets to three points, Moore's group found itself leading 20-4 after the first 10 minutes of the game. The Wildcats went on to win the next two quarters by a combined 13 points, however, slowly chipping away at NC State's large lead.

Pierre helped the Pack control things in the interior, as NC State won the points in the paint battle 42-22 and outrebounded the Wildcats 42-37. The Vanderbilt transfer led her team with her eighth double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. Sophomore forward Tilda Trygger also did her job on the glass, hauling in seven rebounds.

CLUTCH https://t.co/Z0KbakinCC pic.twitter.com/HlEe1rJYDv
— NC State WBB 🐺🏀 (@PackWomensBball) December 21, 2025

Despite the team struggling from 3-point range, the most important moment of the afternoon came from beyond the arc for the Pack. Davidson cut the Wolfpack's lead to just three points with under a minute left in the fourth quarter. Enter Jones, who made three of the four triples for NC State. The sophomore guard came off a strong screen from Trygger and caught a pass from Qadence Samuels at the top of the key for an open 3-pointer. She buried it, icing the ballgame.

"I think my coaches and my teammates, they never got down on me and told me to stop shooting," Jones told reporters after the game.

It was a monumental game for junior guard Zoe Brooks, as she scored her 1,000 point as a member of the Wolfpack in the win. Brooks finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds and an assist.

Having survived the final non-conference matchup of the season, NC State sits at 9-4 and received 12 votes in the latest AP Poll, showing signs of life after a disappointing stretch against ranked opponents.

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