Charlotte, NC – NC State women’s basketball fell to No. 1 South Carolina, 71-57, at the Ally Tipoff played at the Spectrum Center. Trailing by as many as 20 late in the third quarter, a Zamareya Jones layup cut the deficit to seven with 4:39 left in the game, but the Gamecocks closed out the contest on a 7-2 run.
NC State shot 41.5 percent from the field and was 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, going 6-for-15. Three Pack scored in double digits led by Jones’ 16 points.
The Pack and Gamecocks went toe-to-toe in the first quarter, with NC State getting the first points of the game off a triple. At the media timeout, the score was tied at 10-10 with three minutes left to go in the first. The Gamecocks led 17-14 at the end of the first quarter.
NC State got out of a scoring drought at the beginning of the second quarter, as Aziaha James made two free throws, which ignited an 11-0 run. After a James layup off a SC turnover, the Pack led 25-21 with 6:28 left in the half. The Gamecocks got on a run of their own, an 11-1 one, while the Pack were in a five-minute drought from the field, but Mallory Collier came up with two quick layups. Overall, the Gamecocks outscored the Pack 22-16 in the second quarter, as NC State trailed, 39-30 at the half.
SC kept the momentum rolling with a 3-pointer in the beginning of the second half, but Zoe Brooks answered with back-to-back layups. After a 9-4 run by the Gamecocks to open the second half, the Pack took a timeout, down 48-34 with 7:12 left in the third. The Pack trailed by as many as 20 after not being able to make a field goal for seven minutes with 2:27 left in the third. After a 3-pointer by Jones with 30 seconds left in the frame, the Pack went into the final quarter down, 58-43.
The Pack opened the fourth quarter on 7-2 run to cut the deficit to 10 after Jones’ third 3-pointer of the game. Down 60-50 with 6:56 left in the game, the Gamecocks called a timeout. Jones hit her fourth triple of the game off a SC turnover and followed that up with a driving layup off another Gamecock turnover to come within seven points. With 4:39 left in the game, the Pack trailed 62-55. That was the closest NC State could get, as the Gamecocks closed the game out on a 9-2 run to defeat the Pack, 71-57.
PACK FACTS
● Jones logged a team-high 16 points with four triples in 28 minutes off the bench
● James tallied 13 points with three assists and three steals
● Brooks scored in double digits for the second consecutive game with 11 points off 5-of-8 from the field
● Saniya Rivers registered seven boards, three blocks and one steal with four points
● Tilda Trygger played 22 minutes off the bench with two points, three boards and one steal
● All 12 available players saw time on the court
UPCOMING
NC State will be back in Reynolds Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 14 to take on Kent State at 7 p.m. on ACCNX.