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Zoe Brooks Takes It To Another Gear in Latest Wolfpack Win

NC State's star guard made history in NC State's win over Virginia.
Tucker Sennett|
Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) drives 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
Nov 9, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) drives 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

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North Carolina State Wolfpack

RALEIGH — As far as returning talent goes in the ACC, there weren't many better than NC State junior guard Zoe Brooks. Still, she had never been the focal point of the offense before the 2025-26 season. There were some growing pains early in the year, but Brooks proved just how dynamic she could be after the last two weeks, before taking it to another level in Saturday's win over Virginia.

As the Wolfpack collapsed down the stretch and ended up in yet another overtime battle against the 'Hoos, Brooks put on her superhero cape and dragged her team to a win. She wasn't without help, but her dominant and historic performance marked the turning of a page for NC State. The Pack has its superstar playing to her potential.

How Brooks got the job done

Brooks hadn't scored 20 or more points since the Pack's overtime loss to Oklahoma on Dec. 3. She found her scoring rhythm throughout the early part of the ACC schedule, but not to the extent she brought it to on Saturday. The undersized, yet powerful guard scored a career-high 37 points in NC State's 78-76 win over the 'Hoos. That performance pushed her season average to 15.8 points.

While she changed her personal history, she also changed the history books for the Wolfpack program as well. Brooks buried a record 19 free throws on a record 20 attempts, etching her name in NC State lore forever. To go along with her near-perfect shooting from the charity stripe, Brooks made 8-of-15 shots from the field and drilled her only two attempts from 3-point range. Virginia had no answer.

Over the last seven games, Brooks is averaging 19.3 points per game, with just two losses coming during that stretch. One of those losses came without her backcourt sidekick, sophomore Zamareya Jones, who sat out because of an ankle injury. Jones is squarely back in the mix and continued her breakout campaign with 14 points on Saturday.

It was all about Brooks early and late, however. She scored seven of the Wolfpack's first 12 points. In the fourth quarter, she tallied 13 points and kept NC State afloat as Virginia barraged the away side with 3-pointers. NC State head coach Wes Moore was concerned that his team would once again let a game slip away down the stretch, but Brooks refused to let it happen.

"I thought we played three great quarters and we were able to build up a lead, but in the fourth quarter, it just seems like everyone’s hitting threes on us," Moore said. "They were 8-for-12 from three, we tried switching everything, we tried playing some zone just to give them a different look, but I am proud of our kids. They could have hung their heads and said, ‘ah here we go again.’ They showed a lot of grit and fight, and found a way to get a big road win.”

Brooks hasn't always been the vocal leader Moore and his staff were hoping for, but she still leads by example on the court. With the team's thin rotation, Brooks often plays throughout most of the 40 minutes. Saturday's situation called for even more from the guard, who played a team-high 42 minutes. She mustered all of her strength and willed the Pack across the finish line.

Just a week earlier, Brooks sat in the back of the Reynolds Coliseum, disappointed over an overtime loss to 8th-ranked Louisville. She had the Wolfpack in prime position to stun the Cardinals, but she couldn't get her team to the locker room with a victory. She echoed the sentiment of her coach, discussing how the team is young and without senior leadership. However, she believed that a corner was close to being turned.

"I feel like we're going to continue to grow as a team and we're going to get better during crunch time," she said.

While the team suffered a similar fourth-quarter fate to the one it did against Louisville, Brooks wouldn't let overtime go the same way. She proved that the improvement she talked about being close could be attained in less than a week. If that progress continues for the Wolfpack, the ceiling for the team will only get higher, with Brooks pushing it upward.

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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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