NC State, UNC, Duke women’s basketball teams go undefeated, sit atop ACC
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- N.C. State rallied to a 78-76 overtime road win over Virginia; Zoe Brooks scored 37.
- Duke routed Pitt 95-41, forced 21 turnovers and recorded 24 assists.
- North Carolina won two games, extended ACC streak to four, improved offense.
N.C. State had been through this before. After leading by 18 points to start the second half, the Wolfpack watched its lead slowly dwindle. It didn’t seem to matter at first, because the team kept responding, but streaky defense allowed Virginia to force overtime.
The Cavaliers (14-6, 6-3 ACC) took a one-possession lead in overtime and put pressure on the Wolfpack. One week ago at home, No. 9 Louisville did the same thing and left Raleigh with a win. This time, N.C. State (14-6, 7-2) held on for a 78-76 road win.
“Showed a lot of grit and resiliency. We made mistakes — we all did — but they kept battling and kept competing,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said. “It’s a great road win, and, hopefully, these games are going to pay off. Hopefully, as we go forward, we’re going to be a little more prepared to win these close ones.”
Zoe Brooks’ career day led the Wolfpack. She not only scored a career-high 37 points, but went 6 for 6 from the free throw line in overtime. She shot 8 of 15 from the field, including a perfect 2 for 2 from 3-point range, and 19 for 20 from the free throw line overall. Brooks also had a team-high five assists.
Moore called Brooks’ performance “big time.”
“The biggest thing was knocking down those free throws when you had to have them, putting it back up to a three-point lead or a four-point lead,” Moore said. “Obviously, we couldn’t have won the game without that. That’s a pretty awesome performance, and I’m happy for her.”
N.C. State’s defense dominated the first half, holding Virginia to 18 points before the break and 23.5% shooting. The Cavaliers made one 3-point basket and went 1 for 4 from the free throw line.
The Pack struggled to contain Virginia late in the game, though. N.C. State gave up 19 points in the third before UVA exploded for 29 points in the fourth. The Cavaliers made 8 of 12 shots from 3 and recorded 10 assists on 10 field goals to end regulation.
Virginia’s Ky’Mora Johnson logged 26 points, scoring 21 in the second half and overtime period, and hit five 3s. She found her teammates for nine dimes, as well.
“Same thing we’ve kind of been doing. I thought we played three great quarters and we were able to build up a lead,” Moore said. “Then, in the fourth quarter, it just seems like everybody’s hitting 3s on us.”
N.C. State, third in the conference, will look to pick up another conference win when it travels to Boston College on Thursday for a 6 p.m. matchup.
Duke rolls past Pitt
Duke women’s basketball and N.C. State men’s basketball shared a charter plane to Pittsburgh, where the teams played back-to-back on Saturday. The programs didn’t share a return flight, but the Blue Devils picked up a 95-41 win and gave the Triangle a 2-0 record on the day against the Panthers.
Five Duke (14-6, 9-0) players finished in double figures in the rout — a game decided in the first half.
The Blue Devils led by as many as 37 points before halftime — outscoring the Panthers, 51-16, at the break — and extended their advantage to 54 at multiple points in the final five minutes. Duke’s impressive performance keeps it at the top of the ACC standings, alongside Louisville.
Duke dominated in every area of the game. Notably, it forced 21 turnovers — 13 of which were steals — and scored 27 points from the possession changes. The Blue Devil defense held Pitt (8-14, 1-8) to 0 for 13 from 3-point range and only gave up three assists.
On the other side, Duke recorded 24 assists on 38 made shots and hit seven 3s. Toby Fournier and Arianna Roberson scored 19 points apiece, nearly matching Pitt’s team scoring total.
Roberson pulled down 12 rebounds to lead all players. Riley Nelson joined the double-double club with 18 points and 10 boards.
The Panthers’ effort on the glass also paled in comparison. Duke out-rebounded Pitt, 50-24, with 16 on the offensive end. The Blue Devils recorded 24 second-chance points.
Mikayla Johnson led Pitt with 15 points and five rebounds. She went 5 of 14 (35.7%) from the field, while the rest of her teammates shot 11 of 43 (25.6%). Theresa Hagans was held to eight points. Hagans had scored in double figures in four of the last five games.
The Blue Devils play at Miami on Thursday night. Tip is set for 8 p.m.
UNC wins two close ACC games
The cold never bothered North Carolina, anyway.
The Tar Heels went 2-0 last week and extended its ACC win streak to four games. It defeated Georgia Tech on Thursday with ice cold shooting, and beat Syracuse at home on Sunday amid a winter storm.
UNC (17-5, 6-3) earned the 77-71 overtime win Sunday afternoon after making clutch baskets and holding the Orange to 1 for 12 shooting in the final five minutes. Carolina outscored Syracuse 9-3 in overtime after blowing a nine-point third-quarter lead. The Heels are now 1-2 in overtime this season and 4-7 under head coach Courtney Banghart.
“We made free throws. We stuck with it. Offense, obviously, moved a whole lot better,” Banghart said during a radio appearance after the game. “This team is really, really, really trying to be really good, and sometimes it’s a little painful, and sometimes they take steps forward. Today was a step forward.”
The Orange (16-4, 6-3) used an 8-0 run at the end of the fourth quarter to force overtime. Carolina had a chance to win the game in four quarters, but Syracuse made key free throws, the Tar Heels went 3 1/2 minutes without a point, and a baseline out-of-bounds call allowed the visitors to take the final shot of regulation. The Heels committed nine of their 20 turnovers in the fourth quarter alone.
It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the afternoon, led by Nyla Harris and Lanie Grant. Harris recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Grant scored 17 points with five 3-pointers. Ciera Toomey pulled down 10 rebounds.
Syracuse’s star freshman Uche Izoje scored a career-high 27 points and added 12 rebounds.
“We are better when we’re aggressive,” Banghart said. “I thought against Georgia Tech we missed shots, but we also were a little stagnant. Much better offensive output for sure.”
UNC started the week with a 54-46 win at Georgia Tech, in one of the lowest scoring games of the season on both ends of the floor.
Neither team scored more than 20 points in a quarter, and they went to the halftime break tied at 24. Carolina outscored Georgia Tech 13-6 in the third to take a seven-point lead, and hit 9 of 11 free throws in the fourth to secure the win.
Grant finished with 11 points, scoring nine in the fourth. Reniya Kelly and Elina Aarnisolo finished in double figures. Ciera Toomey pulled down 15 of the Tar Heels’ 55 rebounds, and scored nine points.
Both squads shot below 32% from the field, while the Tar Heels made 22.2% of their 3s and the Yellow Jackets made 10% from distance. The poor shooting efficiency led to plenty of rebounding opportunities, of which UNC took advantage. Carolina finished with a 55-34 advantage off the glass, including 25 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points.
The Tar Heels are fourth in the ACC. They’ll have a little over a week off before playing at N.C. State on Feb. 2.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
