In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and an NC State women’s basketball win over Wake Forest.
In its final game in Reynolds Coliseum of the season, the Pack (19-9, 12-5 ACC) put the Demon Deacons (14-15, 4-13 ACC) to sleep in a 65-56 victory, further cementing its ownership over its Tobacco Road rival and giving Pack fans one final show.
“It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world,” said head coach Wes Moore. “It’s an ugly baby, but it’s our baby.”
The rivalry’s storied history only grew on Thursday, marking the 14th-consecutive time that NC State has triumphed over Wake Forest and pushing the all-time series to 83-14.
Though it was a seniorless Senior Night, the team’s de facto veteran — junior guard Zoe Brooks — took over, scoring 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including nine points in the third quarter to push the lead to double digits. Calm, cool and collected on the court, Brooks kept the offense grounded, providing a bucket whenever it was needed.
After the game, Brooks crashed the postgame press conference, taking the opportunity to ask her teammates about their favorite moment of the season. The moment allowed Brooks to show her off-court personality, her fun side, rather than the stone-cold killer who takes the court on Thursdays and Sundays.
“All of us are like that, even Coach Moore,” said forward Tilda Trygger. “Outside of the court, we can always have fun together and have a good time. But when it comes to on the court, it’s all about business, and we have to take care of business.”
Brooks provided the offense, but it was the Pack’s frontcourt that put her in a position to succeed. Trygger and junior forward Khamil Pierre grabbed 22 of the Pack’s 39 total boards, nearly outrebounding the Demon Deacons’ 26 boards on their own — just another day for the sixth-best rebounding team in the nation.
The brightest spot of the game came from the bench as sophomore guard Devyn Quigley scored a season-high 14 points and made four 3-pointers. For a team that has struggled with bench depth all season, Quigley’s emergence was a welcome sight for Pack fans with just days until the postseason.
“I’m so bipolar,” Quigley said. “You look at my games throughout the season, and you’ll see I had good shooting nights and then it kind of drifted away. But I definitely think towards the end of the season, it’s just my mindset and having more fun when I’m out there.”
Now, the win wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In the final five minutes, NC State didn’t score a single time and allowed Wake Forest to shoot out on a 9-0 run, giving the Demon Deacons a glimmer of hope before slamming the door defensively and dribbling the clock out.
“I think that’s just us being young and that even shows out there a little bit,” Quigley said. “Some things were definitely preventable.”
With just one game left until the postseason, it raises further concerns about the Wolfpack’s ability to close out games, something it has struggled with all season.
The good news for the Pack? It holds the key to its own future. After Syracuse fell to Notre Dame and Virginia fell to No. 21 UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State would secure the all-important double-bye in the ACC Tournament if it can defeat Pittsburgh on Sunday, March 1. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m and the game will be streamed on the ACC Network.
“So proud of this team,” Moore said. “It’s been a little up and down, choppy. But to have a chance on Sunday to close it out and be one of the top four and get a double-bye in the ACC is not easy.”
