RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Zoe Brooks scored 19 points and NC State survived an Ole Miss fourth-quarter rally to beat the No. 18 Rebels 68-61 Thursday night in an SEC/ACC Challenge game.
Zamareya Jones added 14 points, making four 3-pointers, all in the second quarter, on the way to a 37-21 halftime lead. Aziaha James added 11 points and Saniya Rivers 10.
The Wolfpack (5-3) dropped out of The Associated Press Top 25 this week after starting the season No. 9. Their three losses came against teams currently in the top 10.
Madison Scott scored 15 points, Tameiya Sadler 14 and Kennedy Todd-Williams 12 for Ole Miss (5-3), which shot 37%. The Rebels were outscored 24-19 off turnovers despite NC State having 22 turnovers to the Rebels’ 14.
Brooks had an unsportsmanlike technical foul earlier in the final quarter that aided the Ole Miss rally but her two free throws with 23.1 seconds left gave the Wolfpack a five-point lead. Then her defense precipitated an over-and-back call on Sadler that helped wrap up the win after seeing a 17-point lead in the final period cut to two with a couple minutes remaining.
Jones had 12 points and Brooks 11 by halftime when NC State shot 78% from the arc (7 of 9) to lead by 16. Ole Miss shot only 26% in the half.
Rivers opened the game with a 3-pointer, added another bucket and Brooks had consecutive baskets as the Wolfpack scored the first nine points and extended their lead to as many as 15 before ending the first quarter ahead 19-6.
Ole Miss is host to Tennessee State and NC State is home against Old Dominion, both games on Sunday.
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