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October 26, 2025
FINAL SCORE; NC State 83 Maryland 75
Greensbro, NC. – Sunday afternoon at the First Horizon Coliseum, the annual Bad Boy Mowers Exhibition provided a top 10 matchup between the NC State Wolfpack and the Maryland Terrapins. The Wolfpack, coming off of their 6th trip to the Sweet 16 in 7 seasons, started the year as the preseason number 9 team in the nation marking the 5th time in the last 6 seasons that the Wolfpack started out in the top 10.
Setting the Stage
NC State got started off to a quick 6-0 lead before the Terrapins cut the lead to 9-6 at the under 5 timeout in the first quarter. The Terrapins would take 13 of the next 17 to take their first lead of the game at 14-13 with under 2 minutes left in the quarter. The lead would not last long as a quick 6-2 run to end the quarter by NC State would give them a 19-16 lead heading into the 2nd quarter. Vanderbilt transfer Khamil Pierre led the way for NC State with 6 1st quarter points and 2 rebounds. Sophomore Tylda Trygger put in 5 points and junior Zoe Brooks had 4.
The Terrapins were led by Duke transfer Oluchi Okananwa who had 6 points. The Terrapins would use their strength inside to get several scoring opportunities at the rim and used their size to keep possessions alive. NC State used their fast-paced offense to get several easy buckets of their own to give them the early lead.
Act 2: Oluchi’s On Fire
The second quarter was full of back and forth action between both teams who were looking to set the tone for what should be very promising seasons for teams looking to make deep runs in the NCAA tournament.
Oluchi Okananwa got hot early with 10 points before the first media timeout of the quarter giving Maryland a 33-29 lead. Okananwa stayed a perfect 3-3 over the first 5 minutes of the quarter giving her team a much needed spark on the offensive end of the floor. She would finish the half leading all scorers with 19 points.
Zoe Brooks and Devyn Quigley led the way for the Wolfpack with 6 points each in the quarter to pace the NC State offense. NC State would finish the half making 4 of their last 5 shots on their way to shooting 52% from the field. Khamil Pierre and Zoe Brooks both finished in double figures with 10 points each in the half. Freshman Adelaide Jernigan shined in her minutes on the floor with 3 points of her own.
Act 3: Back and Forth We Go
The Wolfpack would come out in the second half with more urgency and carried a 55-49 lead into the under 5 timeout after a quick 12-2 run over a minute span. Khamil Pierre continued to show how valuable she will be in the paint for the Wolfpack as she continued to clean up down low. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, she had 14 points and 6 rebounds to lead the way for NC State.
NC State would end the quarter with 20 points from 6 different scorers putting their depth on full display. They would finish 3-5 from beyond the arc finishing with 47% from the floor for the quarter.
Poffenbarger would lead the way for the Terrapins with 7 points and 4 rebounds to pace Maryland. NC State however would carry a 63-61 lead into the 4th quarter. The defensive intensity for the Wolfpack helped hold Maryland to just 31% shooting floor and 25% from 3 in the quarter. Both teams continued to play at a very high level heading into the stretch.
Final Act
The Terrapins came out in the 4th and quickly took a 68-63 lead with 8:19 left to go in the game backed by a 7-0 run to start the quarter. The game would continue to go and forth throughout the quarter as the score remained tied at 74 heading into the last 3:49 of the game. This one felt like an NCAA tournament game between 2 teams who both wanted this game badly.
The Wolfpack would take the lead 76-74 on 2 free throws by Zamareya Jones with 3:09 to play as the 2 teams continued to trade blows on each end of the floor. For a game that did not count in the standings, both teams played with intensity and passion.
The difference down the stretch would be the NC State defense as the Wolfpack would use an 11-0 run to take a 81-74 lead with just a minute to play. The defensive intensity would too much for the Terrapins to overcome as the Wolfpack would grind out an important win to begin their quest for a deep run in March
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