Zoe Brooks secured a pivotal basket with just 45 seconds remaining, enabling No. 10 N.C. State to narrowly defeat Miami 76-74 in a thrilling matchup on Thursday night.
Madison Hayes was instrumental for N.C. State (20-4, 12-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), contributing 19 points, while Aziaha James and Tilda Trygger added 15 and 10 points, respectively. The victory marked the Wolfpack’s ninth consecutive win.
To clinch the game, N.C. State executed two critical defensive plays. Miami’s Haley Cavinder had a chance to take the lead when she attempted a three-pointer that didn’t find its mark with 35 seconds left. Following a timeout, Cavinder drove into the lane in the closing moments but failed to score, securing the win for N.C. State.
Cavinder was the standout performer for Miami (13-11, 3-10), scoring 20 points, while Natalija Marshall contributed with 17 points. Despite holding a 10-point lead in the first half, Miami struggled, failing to score in the last 3:44 of the game after leveling the score at 74-74.
In terms of trends, the Hurricanes were looking to bounce back from a significant 41-point defeat against then-No. 10 Duke but have now fallen to 0-6 in away games since Christmas. Early in the game, they scored 23 points in just over nine minutes, surpassing their entire first-half total from their previous game and taking a 26-16 lead.
For N.C. State, this game came after successful outings against ranked teams like Duke and Florida State. It appeared to be a chance to ease into their schedule, but it turned out to be a nail-biter ahead of three more challenging games against Top 25 opponents.
The game’s turning point occurred late in the third quarter when Hayes scored 10 points within a span of five and a half minutes, allowing the Wolfpack to pull ahead 66-62. Her three-pointer at the start of the fourth quarter proved vital, as N.C. State subsequently maintained the lead for the remainder of the game.
Notably, Miami excelled from beyond the arc, making 10 shots from three-point range, a significant improvement compared to their previous performance where they made just four out of 18 attempts.
Looking ahead, N.C. State is set to face off against No. 12 North Carolina on Sunday, while Miami will host No. 23 Florida State.
