Zamareya Jones Makes Sense of Season-Ending Loss

As the scoreboard in the Crisler Center read "92-63" in favor of Michigan, NC State sophomore guard Zamareya Jones knew her season had come to an end, but that she fought hard to keep it going. With her backcourt co-star sidelined with an injury, Jones played all 40 minutes, battling to the final second of the second round matchup of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

“I didn't want to let my teammates down. I came into the game -- I was nervous, of course, with Zoe (Brooks) being out," Jones said. "She's a big part of our team. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I wanted to uplift my teammates and let them know, like I'm not quitting, so you're not quitting on me.”

Trial by fire

Zam Jones — N.C. State guard Zamareya Jones (3) celebrates a play against Michigan during the first half of NCAA Tournament Second Round at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, March 22, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jones propelled her team into the second round of the tournament with a career-high 30 points against Tennessee in the Round of 64. While she couldn't replicate that kind of scoring output on Sunday, she still managed to post 16 points and get her teammates more involved in her elevated point guard role, dishing out nine assists in the loss. However, the assists came with seven turnovers.

"I've got to learn to stop turning the ball over. I had too many turnovers," she said. "But it comes with the game. That's life. That's the game. I just have to learn how to control myself when I'm one person and not let them speed me up. I was gassed, though. That's no excuse. I just have to keep fighting through it and mentally prepare next time."

It was a tale of two halves for the Wolfpack. Jones kept her team under control in the first half, as NC State went into the halftime locker room trailing the Wolverines by just three points. The effort on the defensive end was a major reason for that, as Michigan failed to get its shooters going in the early part of the game, allowing the Pack to hang around. It got out of hand in a hurry, however.

“I would say early in the game, we kept them from shooting 3s. That's how they got most of their points in the second half," Jones said. "I feel like we let up a little bit, and we should have kept going. They only had 28 points at halftime. (Olivia) Olson had 0 at halftime. We could have really kept buying in, but we just let them shoot 3s all game.”

Zam Jone — Michigan forward Kendall Dudley (22) and guard Syla Swords (12) defend N.C. State guard Zamareya Jones (3) during the first half of NCAA Tournament Second Round at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, March 22, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While her sophomore season came to an end on Sunday, Jones went down swinging, the only way she knows how to play. The tough guard grew a tremendous amount under Wes Moore in her second year of college basketball. The Michigan loss should only fuel her for another season.