The women's basketball game between No. 13-ranked NC State and No. 1 Notre Dame was interrupted on Sunday afternoon when a fan suffered a medical emergency in the stands.
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The incident occurred just moments after the fourth quarter ended in a tie at 84-84. With the game tied and live on ESPN, play was halted before overtime. Notre Dame players huddled and prayed for the fan. Meanwhile, medics attended to the stricken fan in the upper bowl of Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, North Carolina. ESPN cameras captured the scene as medics rushed to provide assistance.
An NC State spokesperson later confirmed that the fan was responsive and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Basketball Game Halted
On the ESPN broadcast, announcers Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo provided updates from the booth. "Obviously we were all transfixed by what has been an incredible game," Ruocco said. "But now you have an extended delay where the game is put in perspective when somebody is dealing with something having to do with real life."
Lobo added, "Yeah, without question. The Notre Dame players were just alerted to the serious nature of it, and it looked like they were saying a prayer with one another. Who cares about overtime? Both of these teams do, but there's some stuff going on up there."
Once the fan was attended to, the basketball game went on. NC State went on to defeat Notre Dame 94-87 after a thrilling double-overtime finish. The victory was sparked by a 33-point performance from Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks.
Despite a combined 71 points from Notre Dame's Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, and Sonia Citron, it wasn't enough to prevent the Fighting Irish from suffering their third loss of the season.
The dramatic scenes in Raleigh added an unexpected emotional layer to the already high-stakes matchup, as both teams displayed resilience amid the unexpected interruption.
