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Oklahoma Downs NC State in Overtime Thriller

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

NORMAN, Okla. – The NC State women’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought game at No. 9/9 Oklahoma in the ACC/SEC Challenge, falling 103-98 in overtime. NC State led for 27 minutes in the game and outrebounded the No. 1 rebounding team in the country, 57-48.

NC State was led by two 20-point scorers with Zamareya Jones’ career-high 26 points and Zoe Brooks’ 25. Khamil Pierre pulled down 20 rebounds to match with her 19 points for her sixth double-double of the season and Tilda Trygger logged her second double-double behind 18 points and 12 boards.

The Pack went empty on its first four possessions, but Zoe Brooks got going, making her next four shots, as the Pack took an early 10-4 lead. OU tied the game at 10 before the media timeout. Zamareya Jones hit a 3-pointer in transition, and she would then make the Pack’s next seven points. The Pack didn’t score for the remaining 2.5 minutes of the quarter, as OU led 23-21 after one quarter.

After NC State tied the game at 23, OU went on a 7-0 run to take a 7-point lead to start the second quarter. NC State re-tied the game, going on a 7-0 run itself sparked by a Jones triple and a tough bucket by Khamil Pierre. After Trygger tied the game for the ninth time, NC State closed the quarter on a 9-2 run, as the Pack headed into halftime with a 45-38 edge.

After one half, the Pack saw four players with nine or more points, led by Jones’ 12 and Pierre’s double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

OU scored four straight points to begin the second half, but Brooks got going a part of a 7-0 run to take a 10-point lead. The Pack led 58-51 at the media timeout taken with 4:58 left in the third. OU cut the lead to five and Devyn Quigley responded with a triple. OU cut it to three with 20 seconds left in the quarter, but Jones responded just before the buzzer with a layup, and NC State took a 70-65 lead going into the fourth.

Jones started the quarter with a tough shot with harm to convert a 3-point play to start the fourth. The sophomore made a triple to surpass a career-high points with 22, but whenever the Pack would get a bucket, the Sooners would return the favor, as OU cut into the lead, 82-80, with five minutes to play. Pierre made two tough baskets, but then OU went on a 6-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the second quarter, 89-88, with 1:30 left to play. The Pack was in a two minute scoring drought but then Trygger made one of two free throws to tie the game. NC State had the ball with eight seconds left, but could not get a good look, sending the game into overtime.

OU made the first four points of overtime and Brooks answered with a jumper. The Sooners took a six-point lead with 2:26 left. Jones cut the deficit to three by making two free throws. Pierre delivered a layup to make it a two-point game with 1:15 left. NC State was outscored by OU 14-10 in overtime.

NC State will return to Reynolds Coliseum to host Seton Hall on Sunday, Dec. 7 for a 2 p.m. tipoff.