One down: NC State women’s basketball opens NCAA Tournament with win over Vermont

N.C. State’s veteran experience, as it has in other must-win games, proved significant in its comeback win Saturday.

The Wolfpack, seeded second in Spokane Region 1, defeated No. 15 Vermont, 75-55, at Reynolds Coliseum and advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 32, where it will play the winner of Harvard-Michigan State on Monday.

The Wolfpack (27-6) started with high energy on both ends and used its success to take a 10-point lead seven minutes into the game.

Then, N.C. State let up. Vermont countered with urgency, and the Catamounts surged to a four-point lead in the second quarter. Through the middle of the fourth quarter, Vermont remained within striking distance, either leading or staying within three possessions. N.C. State, however, outscored its opponent 23-9 in the final period.

“We definitely love close games better than a blowout,” sophomore Zoe Brooks said. “I’m glad that they gave us a challenge. We didn’t sleep on them. We knew that they were going to come in and try and punch us in the mouth. I’m glad that we got to pull away at the end.”

Brooks led the Wolfpack with 19 points. She shot 8 of 16 from the field and, perhaps most importantly, hit what amounted to a dagger of a 3-pointer with about eight minutes remaining in the game. It was her first made three of the day, and it gave N.C. State an 11-point lead — its largest of the day — and the Catamounts never got the game back into single digits.

Brooks looked composed in the Wolfpack’s gritty second-half effort. Friday, the ACC’s Most Improved Player credited last year’s Final Four appearance for her growth and confidence.

“It was a great run. We played a lot of great teams. Coming for Year 2, I feel like I’m definitely a lot more comfortable,” Brooks said. “I know what to expect. It’s win or go home. You’ve got to give it all you got every game.”

Despite being a 21.5-point underdog and 15 seed, Vermont’s vaunted defense lived up to its billing. The Catamounts, ranked third in the nation for scoring defense having held their opponents to 52.2 points per game, played with upset-level urgency.

N.C. State entered the game averaging 76.8 points per game, which ranks No. 29 in the nation. With its efforts in the first two quarters, UVM looked on pace to hold the Pack under its average and near the 60-point mark.

Brooks, alongside her senior teammates, returned in the second half with far more aggression. The Pack’s late surge pushed it past 70 points. Vermont ended the season 0-10 when allowing more than 61 points.

“I knew I wasn’t going home. I don’t know about them; everybody else,” said senior Saniya Rivers, pointing to her teammates. “I knew we weren’t gonna be done. We worked way too hard. We deserved that win. We’ve been preparing all week. We’ve been preparing all season long. Especially coming off a break and tough loss against Duke, I just know that we needed some type of get-back. And we got that.”

One such example of N.C. State’s improved effort came via the Wolfpack’s effort on the backboard.

N.C. State finished with a 45-34 rebounding advantage, including 18 offensive boards. It notched 21 second-chance points. Rivers and Madison Hayes led the rebounding effort. Rivers contributed a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double; her eighth of the season. Hayes finished with nine points and a season-high 12 boards.

“Me and Saniya, we’re really athletic. We can go get rebounds. We have a knack for the ball,” Hayes said. “It’s just heart at the end of the day, and having urgency and energy for it.”

N.C. State also forced 13 Vermont turnovers, including seven in the second half, and scored 12 points from the errors.

The Wolfpack’s early deficit stemmed from its defensive inability to stop the Catamounts’ efforts from 3. It typically holds teams under 30% from 3-point range, but it had issues slowing down junior Keira Hanson.

Entering the game, Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore knew his team needed to contain the guard.

“(Hanson) can score from all three levels. I worry about — she’s shooting like 44 percent from 3 on the season. Conference play is right at 40 percent,” Moore said Friday. “When she comes in, she gives them a little spark and gets them going.”

Hanson came off the bench and scored 13 first-half points, including a 3-of-3 performance from the perimeter. She entered the game averaging 9.6 points per game and shooting 43.5% on 3-point attempts.

Hanson paced all players with a career-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the arc. Hayes and Aziaha James thought the defensive effort on Hanson was what they wanted. There was almost always a defender or hand in her face, and Hanson kept making shots.

“She’s a good shooter. She’s a good player,” James said. “She was playing the whole game. We’ve just got to execute it every time.”

Nikola Priede added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Catamounts.

The Wolfpack has now won 19 straight NCAA Tournament games when playing in Raleigh, and owns a 13-8 record in first-round games.

This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 4:06 PM with the headline "One down: NC State women’s basketball opens NCAA Tournament with win over Vermont."

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer