Zoe Brooks scores 19 and NC State women beat Vermont 75-55 in March Madness
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Zoe Brooks scored 19 points and N.C. State finally took control in the second half to beat Vermont 75-55 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James added 15 points apiece for the second-seeded Wolfpack, who reached the Final Four last year.
N.C. State (27-6), which has won 19 consecutive NCAA Tournament games at home, meets either Harvard or Michigan State in Monday’s second round.
Keira Hanson scored 21 points off the bench, Catherine Gilwee had 13 and Nikola Priede added 11 for No. 15 seed Vermont (21-13).
Vermont pulled ahead 27-24 midway through the second quarter on Hanson’s 3-pointer. The Wolfpack scored the last six points of the half for a 35-33 advantage.
The Wolfpack saved their best stretch for late in the game, outscoring Vermont 23-9 in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we really picked it up defensively in the second half,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said.
For the Wolfpack, it was a quick reminder of the high intensity and determination they’ll encounter from opponents.
“Everybody wants to win,” Brooks said. “Everybody is going to play well.”
After tying the game on the first possession of the second half, the Catamounts were held to 20 points the rest of the way.
“We felt we played really good for three quarters,” Vermont coach Alisa Kresge said.
Takeaways
Vermont: The Catamounts were one of the country’s best defensive teams, but they allowed more than 70 points for the first time since November.
N.C. State: It was the Wolfpack’s first game in nearly two weeks after losing in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament final to Duke. The outcome means N.C. State won’t suffer back-to-back losses this season.
Key moment
Brook converted a pair of three-point plays and Hayes drained a 3-pointer in the first five minutes of the third quarter as the Wolfpack gained separation at 48-40.
Key stat
Brooks made her 20th 3-pointer of the season and just her second in the last four games. It pushed the Wolfpack to a 59-48 lead in the fourth quarter.
Board work
N.C. State shot 39.1% from the field but gave itself extra chances thanks to 18 offensive rebounds.
That’s an area that Moore said he addressed during the team’s layoff before the tournament. The message got through — eventually anyway.
“I got subbed out (in the) first half because I wasn’t crashing the boards,” Rivers said. “It just shows that he has high standards for us.”
Fun while it lasted
The Catamounts were within 52-46 through three quarters, but N.C. State made 8 of 15 shots in the fourth.
Vermont entered having won nine of 10, but the Wolfpack had too much power for the Catamounts to contain for 40 minutes.
“Some things we didn’t have an answer for,” said Kresge, who took her team to March Madness for the second time in three years.
Up next
N.C. State will be home in the round of 32 for the second year in a row.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
By BOB SUTTON
Associated Press
