NC State’s performance screamed a lack of tournament readiness. The Wolfpack (20-10, 13-5 ACC) entered with a double-bye as the No. 4 seed, riding a three-game win streak, but they were outhustled from the tip. Notre Dame led wire-to-wire, capitalizing on our 17 turnovers and dominating with a 20-4 third-quarter run after Qadence Samuels picked up her fourth foul early in the period. We mounted a late 10-0 spurt in the fourth, but it was futile against an Irish team that shot 49% from the field and 36% from three. Our offense sputtered, especially from beyond the arc, where we hit a dismal 21%—a microcosm of our season-long struggles.
That three-point inefficiency has been this team’s offensive Achilles heel all year. Despite having shooters like Zamareya Jones (who attempted a team-high 6 threes in the game) and Qadence Samuels (who made 2), the Pack couldn’t find consistency from deep. Deep in the Boxscore, it’s clear our perimeter game lagged: season-high for threes made in an ACC game was 6 by Jones back in January, but too often we’ve relied on interior scoring from Khamil Pierre and drives from Zoe Brooks. This flaw was exposed against Notre Dame’s defense, limiting our ability to stretch the floor and create space.
Speaking of exposures, Hannah Hidalgo torched us again. The Notre Dame junior guard, already a star as a freshman (22.6 ppg) and sophomore (23.8 ppg), has elevated her game even further in 2025-26, averaging 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while leading the nation with 5.6 steals. She’s the first in ACC history to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, and her development of a lethal midrange game makes her nearly undefendable. In this matchup, she dropped 25 points on 12-of-20 shooting, adding five rebounds, five assists, and two steals—her sixth straight 25-point outing. Combined with Iyana Moore’s 20 points, their backcourt overwhelmed our guards, echoing our February regular-season loss that sparked Notre Dame’s seven-game win streak.
Bright spots? Khamil Pierre delivered another stellar double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, her 21st of the season—tying a program record and placing her second nationally. Zoe Brooks added 10 points, five assists, and three steals, while Zamareya Jones scored 14 and Qadence Samuels chipped in 12. We even outscored them 34-28 in the paint, our 21st such edge this year. But bench production was thin—Devyn Quigley with 5 points, Maddie Cox with 3—and starters like Tilda Trygger managed just two rebounds.
Looking ahead, this loss could drop us into the dreaded 8/9 seeding in the NCAA Tournament, per current projections that have us fluctuating between a 6 and 10 seed. An 8/9 means surviving the first round only to face a No. 1 seed on their home court in the second—not an ideal path to the Sweet 16. With a solid resume including a 13-5 ACC mark and wins over ranked foes like Tennessee, we’re a lock for the Big Dance, but seeding matters. This setback raises questions about our ceiling: Can we rediscover the defensive intensity and shooting touch from our 6-0 ACC road start?
In the end, this tournament felt like a missed opportunity—not just for hardware, but for proving we belong among the elite. As Wolfpack faithful, we’ll regroup, reflect, and rally for March Madness. Go Pack!
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