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Wolfpack Offense Crumbles in Play4Kay Loss to UNC

NC State had no answers for the Tar Heels in the third quarter and collapsed over the final 20 minutes.
Tucker Sennett|
Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Khamil Pierre (12) shoots for the basket over Southern California Trojans forward Vivian Iwuchukwu (0) during the first quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Khamil Pierre (12) shoots for the basket over Southern California Trojans forward Vivian Iwuchukwu (0) during the first quarter of the Ally Tipoff game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

RALEIGH — On a night bigger than basketball at times with the Play4Kay celebrations before tip-off and at halftime, NC State came up short against its bitter rival, falling to No. 25 UNC 61-59. A disastrous third quarter saw the Wolfpack fall behind by as many as 10 points, but the team tried to get back into it down the stretch. 

Using size early 

The Wolfpack came into Monday’s matchup as the top rebounding team in the ACC, while North Carolina ranked 11th. Once the Tar Heels started to miss some shots after a 5-for-5 start from the field, the Pack really began to control the glass with its fairly noticeable size advantage between Khamil Pierre and Tilda Trygger. 

The real rebounding threat in the first quarter was junior guard Qadence Samuels, who added four boards to go along with seven points early on. Her activity early proved disruptive against the highly aggressive UNC defense. With players trying to jump passing lanes often for the Tar Heels, there was room for Samuels and Pierre, who had eight first-quarter rebounds herself, to operate. 

NC State ended the first half with a distinct rebounding advantage, tallying 23 boards to UNC’s 15. The pack also attacked the offensive glass with success, securing five offensive rebounds and scoring on a handful of those second-chance opportunities. 

The drought arrives

As has been the case through much of the 2025-26 season, especially when facing ranked opponents, NC State found itself in the midst of a lengthy offensive drought that showed signs of starting near the end of the first half. It leaked into the third quarter, as the Wolfpack didn’t score until Zoe Brooks got to the free-throw line to break a 34-34 tie with a pair of foul shots after three and a half minutes. 

After making just two shots from 3-point range in the first half, the Tar Heels buried one quickly in the second half and looked to show off their perimeter shooting prowess. NC State’s defense held strong enough to limit too many good looks, but it was clear that UNC’s offense was in much better shape than the Wolfpack’s. 

NC State made just one of its first 10 shots in the third quarter. Tar Heel guard Lanie Grant found her shooting stroke and surpassed the Wolfpack’s offensive output in the third quarter by herself with 10 points. The Pack scored just eight. Grant finished the game with 18 points, making three triples on six attempts. 

One final push?

After the disastrous third quarter, Moore could only hope his team would regain its offensive rhythm over the final 10 minutes, otherwise it would go down as yet another ranked loss for the Wolfpack in a season loaded with disappointing results. 

The Tar Heels dropped into a 3-2 zone defense, something they had shown at several points of the game but never did consistently. The Wolfpack’s offensive woes continued and North Carolina forced the issues on the other end, pushing the lead to what felt like an insurmountable 10 points. 

Some strong work inside from Pierre helped the Wolfpack cut the UNC lead to six before the five-minute mark of the final quarter, but it was difficult to string stops and scores together for NC State. Two defensive lapses completely cost Moore’s team the game down the stretch. The defense sagged off UNC guard Reniya Kelly on the wing. She caught two passes with room and no close-out and buried a pair of triples to break any momentum the Wolfpack started to gain. 

NC State made one final push with a 7-0 run in the final two minutes, cutting North Carolina’s lead to as few as two points. After a stop, Pierre took off in transition and tried to beat a pack of Tar Heel defenders, but lost the ball after a ton of contact. There was no foul called. The Wolfpack had to play the foul game from that point on. The Pack got one last attempt to tie or take the lead, but a 3-pointer from Zam Jones didn’t fall and UNC walked away with the 61-59 win. 

Final word

Brooks and Jones each shot 3-of-11 from the field, hurting NC State’s chances greatly. Brooks struggled mightily in the fourth quarter, missing a key momentum 3-point shot and a pair of shots in the lane. With those two struggling at the same time, the Wolfpack never had enough firepower to hang with UNC in key moments. 

The loss dropped NC State to 15-7 overall and 8-3 in conference play. Moore’s team is still clinging to third place in the conference, but the head-to-head loss to the Tar Heels hurts in a potential push toward the top of the league. The Pack will be back in action on Thursday against Florida State with hopes of turning things around quickly. 

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

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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