NC State Suffers Lopsided 81-63 Loss to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

#4 seed NC State (20-10, 13-5 ACC) suffered a lopsided 81-63 loss to #5 seed Notre Dame (22-9, 13-5 ACC) yesterday in the 2026 ACC Tournament Quarterfinals in Georgia.

Entering the game, Notre Dame ranked No. 27 in the AP Poll, while NC State ranked No. 31.

NC State entered the matchup as a 1.5-point underdog, and the Fighting Irish covered comfortably.

Shooting & Turnovers

Notre Dame controlled the game with superior shooting and ball security.

• Notre Dame: 48.5% FG, 36.4% from three (8 made)
• NC State: 42.1% FG, 21.1% from three (4 made)

Turnovers also proved costly for the Wolfpack.

• NC State: 17 turnovers → 16 Notre Dame points
• Notre Dame: 10 turnovers → 10 NC State points

Notre Dame’s Standouts

NC State had no answer for Hannah Hidalgo and Iyana Moore.

Hannah Hidalgo, the ACC Player of the Year, finished with:

• 25 points (12-20 FG)
• 5 rebounds
• 5 assists
• 2 steals

Iyana Moore delivered one of her strongest performances of the season:

• 20 points
• 4-of-9 from three-point range
• 9 rebounds

Moore entered the game averaging 11.9 points per game.

Wolfpack Performances

Despite the loss, four NC State players scored in double figures.

Khamil Pierre

The First-Team All-ACC forward led the Wolfpack with:

• 17 points (7-11 FG)
• 14 rebounds

Pierre recorded her 21st double-double of the season and has now posted double-doubles in four straight games.

Zam Jones

Jones struggled from the field but still contributed:

• 14 points (5-13 FG)
• 4 assists

Qadence Samuels

• 12 points (4-7 FG)
• 2-4 from three-point range
• 6 rebounds

Zoe Brooks

Another First-Team All-ACC selection, Brooks finished with:

• 10 points
• 5 assists
• 4 rebounds
• 3 steals

Her scoring total was six points below her season average.

Tilda Trygger Held Scoreless

Notre Dame’s defense neutralized Sophomore Forward Tilda Trygger.

For the first time this season, Trygger failed to score and did not attempt a shot in 28 minutes of play. She also recorded just two rebounds.

Trygger entered the game averaging:

• 10.9 points per game
• 7.2 rebounds per game

Turnovers from the Core

NC State’s three primary offensive leaders struggled with ball security.

• Pierre: 5 turnovers
• Brooks: 6 turnovers
• Jones: 5 turnovers

Together, they accounted for 16 of the Wolfpack’s 17 turnovers.

What’s Next

With the ACC Tournament run over, the Wolfpack will now wait for Selection Sunday to learn their NCAA Tournament placement.

Following yesterday’s loss, ESPN currently projects NC State as a No. 7 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.