It was a night filled with excitement and intensity as the NC State women's basketball team took on the highly ranked No. 18 Ole Miss in the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Wolfpack showed great determination and skill, battling through a tough game to secure a hard-fought 68-61 victory.

NC State's Women's Basketball Team Overcomes Challenges for a Big Win

First Quarter: Setting the Tone

Senior guard Aziaha James got the Wolfpack off to a strong start in the first quarter. Moving swiftly down the court, she synchronized with senior guard Saniya Rivers, forming a dynamic duo. Rivers sank a quick 3-point shot, giving the red-and-white the lead, and soon after scored again to get the Pack up 5-0. It took Ole Miss five minutes to score, and by then the Pack was already up 9-0. The energy in the building was palpable, elevating the team's offensive play. Sophomore guard Zoe Brooks made two back-to-back hook shots, adding to the Pack's early dominance.Freshman center Lorena Awou and sophomore center Mallory Collier also took a step forward in their development. They made frequent appearances at the foul line and helped contribute to the Pack's 45 rebounds. Head coach Wes Moore was pleased with their efforts, saying, "I'm really big on if you're playing well, we'll ride with you. If you're struggling, we're going to try somebody else. But I thought [Collier] did a nice job. And then Lorena, I thought she did some good things for us as well."

Second Quarter: Young Guns Take Over

The young guns on the team took over on offense in the second frame. Freshman guard Zamareya Jones and Brooks made quick impressions on the court. Jones finished the matchup 4-4 from 3 and 5-6 from the field, showing great shooting accuracy. Brooks finished with a game-high 19 points, demonstrating her scoring ability. "I really take this game seriously, and I really wanted to win today," Brooks said. "I knew that we had to get a stop, so I was just doing all I could to just make sure that they turned the ball over."

Third Quarter: Ole Miss Puts on the Pressure

It was in the third frame that Ole Miss woke up and started to put pressure on the Wolfpack. With Brooks and James taking control of the Pack's offense and holding a 22-point lead at one point, the red-and-white defense started to slack off. The Rebels were able to head straight to the basket with easy layups in the post. This slow but present push from Ole Miss would catch up quickly to the Wolfpack in the final frame.

Final Quarter: Holding On for the Win

With the Pack only needing to hold it together through the last 10 minutes of play, the Rebels slowly closed the gap. NC State's defense let up multiple plays, and the team was moving too quickly on offense to make any promising shots. The Wolfpack didn't score for five minutes of the frame, and during that time the Rebels worked up to within two points of the red-and-white, keeping the fans on edge. But it was once again Brooks and James who kept the Pack floating. A late 3-pointer from James and clutch free throws from Brooks allowed the red-and-white to keep its game-long lead. As the clock ticked down and more fouls were being dished out, NC State kept momentum up high and squeaked out a 68-61 win. This was the team's first win over a top-25 team this season.NC State will stay in Raleigh to take on Old Dominion on Sunday at 2 p.m.