With just a week until the greatest month in college sports, it can be easy to let your mind wander and dream of buzzer beaters, Cinderella stories and upset victories.
But NC State women’s basketball doesn’t have that luxury. Stuck in the middle of a dog fight for that fated double-bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament, every game matters.
Facing an uphill battle in the standings with its back against the wall, the Wolfpack (18-9, 11-5 ACC) delivered at home on Sunday with an 82-69 victory over the Syracuse Orange (21-6, 11-5 ACC).
The win pushes NC State into a three-way tie with Syracuse and Virginia for fourth-place in the ACC — the final double-bye. Had the Wolfpack lost, the double-bye would have been all but out of reach, and the Pack would’ve been forced to play an extra game in the ACC Tournament.
But luckily for the Pack, it had junior forward Khamil Pierre, who scored a game-high 25 points — her third time in the last four games with 24 points or more — and secured 15 rebounds, marking her 18th double-double of the season.
While Pierre dominated the post, junior guard Zoe Brooks commanded the offense from the foul line and beyond the arc. Brooks knocked down six of her eight free throw attempts and two 3-pointers to finish with 20 points on 6-of-10 from the field, marking the third time this season that she and Pierre have eclipsed the 20-point mark in the same game.
But an offense is nothing without a playmaker. While Brooks took over the scoring role, sophomore guard Zam Jones found open teammates time and time again, tying her career-high of eight assists. Taking a break from her scoring role to facilitate the offense, Jones showed how multi-faceted the Wolfpack’s frontcourt is, proving the tandem can fill any role on any given day.
Though it entered the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead, NC State has turned poor defense in the final frame into a habit, giving away multiple wins in the last 10 minutes. But instead of following habit, the Wolfpack’s defense slammed the door on the Orange, holding it to just 4-of-22 from the field and forcing five turnovers in the fourth quarter.
As much of a key win as it is for the Pack, the job isn’t finished. With just two games left in the season, it’s important to close the season on a three-game win streak to remain in the double-bye race. While the Orange must get through Notre Dame — the same team that downed the Pack a week prior — and the Cavaliers face a feisty No. 22 UNC-Chapel Hill, the red-and-white closes its season with Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, who sit at 14th and 17th in the ACC, respectively.
The hope for a higher postseason seed is very much alive, but its in the hands of the Wolfpack, beginning by hosting its Tobacco Road rivals, the Demon Deacons, on Thursday, Feb. 26, for its final home game of the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Extra.
