College GameDay and seven WNBA scouts in attendance. A 19-game winning streak vs a 19-game home winning streak. An opportunity to take down the best team in the nation — the same team that defeated it in the 2024 ACC Championship game.

Everything was on the line for No. 13 NC State women’s basketball as it hosted No. 1 Notre Dame. Leading by three points with just 3.5 seconds left, it looked as though the Wolfpack (22-5, 14-2 ACC) finally secured that top 10 win that it’d fought all season for. But the Fighting Irish (24-3, 15-1 ACC) didn’t back down. Instead of relying on their top scorers, they put all of their faith in guard Sonia Citron, who laced a heavily contested 3-pointer to send the game to overtime.

But the end of regulation was just the beginning of the story.

“Put it all on the floor,” said senior guard Saniya Rivers. “Empty out the tank.”

Neither team got out to more than a two-point lead in the extra five minutes. NC State found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard, down by two with just 30 seconds left. But the Wolfpack put the ball in star senior guard Aziaha James’ hands, and she delivered a game-tying floater.

Even still, while tied at 92, Notre Dame had ample time to land the final shot. But NC State fought and fought, constantly denying any open shot attempts. With no other option, Notre Dame’s star guard Olivia Miles drove into the lane for a heavily contested layup.

Reynolds Coliseum erupted in cheers when fans saw the shot miss, but the cheers drowned out a certain whistle — a foul had been called on sophomore guard Zoe Brooks as time expired. NC State’s 19-game home win streak couldn’t lose to free throws. As boos erupted throughout the arena, the officials reviewed the call and determined time expired before the foul.

Five more minutes.

Beaten, battered and bruised, the Wolfpack was exhausted. Nonetheless, it powered through. NC State scored back-to-back buckets to take a four-point lead for the first time since regulation, punctuated by a behind-the-back layup from James as she juked out Miles, bringing Reynolds to its feet in a deafening roar.

“The atmosphere — especially when we started putting it away there — that was probably the loudest noise I’ve ever experienced,” said head coach Wes Moore. “It was special.”

As time expired, players began celebrating their 104-95 victory amidst the chaos of Reynolds. The win marked the third victory against a No. 1 team in the Moore Era and the first No. 1 win at home since 1978.

Since the preseason, analysts have talked about Notre Dame’s guard duo of Miles and sophomore Hannah Hidalgo as the best backcourt in the nation. They lived up to the hype, scoring 22 and 26 points, respectively. For every NC State bucket, one of them retaliated with a tough shot of their own.

But while Notre Dame has a star guard duo, NC State has a star guard trio — James, Rivers and its secret weapon, Brooks.

“We got some pretty good guards,” Moore said. “Notre Dame deserves all the attention that they get, but I like ours too. We got some pretty good ones.”

Brooks grew up playing travel ball with Hidalgo, and the two exchanged words all night. Whether it was jawing at the free throw line or staredowns after a tough bucket, Brooks and Hidalgo exchanged blows for the full 50 minutes.

“We were just playing around,” Brooks said. “We’ve been playing with each other for years, so we were just chirping.”

But facing her old teammate was the perfect motivation for Brooks, who had the best game of her collegiate career. Hidalgo may have had 26, but Brooks exploded for a career-high 33 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 14-14 from the free throw line. Hidalgo truly is one of the best players in the country, but Brooks got the last laugh with the career-high and the win.

“I like challenges,” Brooks said. “I had a lot of fun today. I’m very competitive and so are they. I’m glad we got the dub.”

James played Robin to Brooks’ Batman, scoring 20 points and the game-tying shot that forced a second overtime. After all, the veteran is on the Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List for a reason.

With so many scouts in attendance, Rivers showed out with 14 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. The projected first-round pick was everywhere on the court, even defensively where she blocked three shots and recorded two steals.

“I felt like it was just clicking for me,” Rivers said. “My teammates show up every night, so I’m definitely gonna reward that the best I can. If they’re not involved, I’ll do the best I can to score. If I’m not scoring, I’m gonna play defense. Just trying to be all around on both sides of the ball and I feel like it was working well for us tonight.”

The biggest reason NC State suffered so many early ranked losses was the question marks at the five spot. But freshman forward Tilda Trygger has answered the call. Trygger has taken over as the full-time starter and makes an impact in every single game.

“Tilda is going to be big for us this year,” Rivers said. “We didn’t know that she’d be playing the five. She’s playing out of position right now, but she’s doing amazing. She’s holding it down. She wants to be on the wing and shoot all the time, but seeing her bang down with the fives and hit career-highs. … It’s just beautiful and I couldn’t ask for better teammates.”

Trygger scored a career-high 19 points — five of which came in an all-important fourth quarter — while shooting 89% from the field and grabbing nine rebounds. Every game, Trygger advances her game as she translates from European basketball to American basketball — two drastically different playstyles.

“Tilda, she’s sometimes too sweet-ish,” Moore said. “She needs to be a little tougher at times when she steps on the court. But she’s getting better. Eight of nine from the field, that’s unbelievable. For a position we were really concerned about a month ago, she’s coming on strong. When you have all five spots, you’ve got some balance.”

As the Wolfpack extended its home win streak to 20 games, it’s clear that the Wolfpack faithful have a direct impact on the game. Sell out after sell out, the red-and-white show up whenever they’re needed, constantly bringing the energy wherever they go.

“I thought [the energy] was fantastic,” said Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey. “It feels like the fans are right on top of you. They were super loud. [NC State] is 15-0 at home now this season. You can tell they feed off of the energy. The crowd was great. We’ve been in a lot of hostile environments. This is in the top 10.”

Next up, NC State plays its final home game of the regular season against Wake Forest on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ACCNX.