ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — N.C. State star guard Zoe Brooks watched her teammates warm up as she stood on crutches and wore a protective boot on her right foot.
Michigan took advantage of her absence.
The second-seeded Wolverines beat the seventh-seeded Wolfpack 92-63 on Sunday, turning 22 turnovers into 35 points, to advance to the women's Sweet 16.
Brooks, an All-ACC guard, was injured Friday night when seventh-seeded N.C. State eliminated No. 10 seed Tennessee.
“She's very important to us, but let's face it, Michigan played great so it’s definitely not an excuse,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said.
Brooks was held out of practice Saturday in the hopes that she would be available to play against the second-seeded Wolverines. She wasn't ruled out until Sunday morning.
“I hated for her season to end like that,” Moore said. “Obviously, I hated it for our team because they depend on her a lot. She’s a leader for us. So that was tough, but again, it’s a team sport, and you’ve got to figure out a way to overcome.”
Brooks started in 31 games this season, averaging 16 points, a team-high 4.3 assists and 4.7 rebounds. She was a key player on N.C. State's team that reached the 2024 Final Four when she was a freshman.
Freshman Destiny Lunan started for the Wolfpack in her place. She had two fouls in the opening five minutes and didn’t play the rest of the half. Lunan fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with six points, limited to 15 minutes due to foul trouble.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
North Carolina State guard Zoe Brooks, center, greets Qadence Samuels (2) as she watches warmups before the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
PARIS (AP) — Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire won the Paris mayoral race Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo as the French capital’s mayor.
Grégoire claimed victory after estimates based on partial results placed him well ahead of conservative rival Rachida Dati, who acknowledged defeat.
Grégoire said “tonight is the victory of a certain vision of Paris: a vibrant Paris, a progressive Paris.”
French voters returned to the polls Sunday for the final round of municipal elections in 1,500 communes, including major cities.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
PARIS (AP) — French voters returned to the polls Sunday for the second and final round of municipal elections in over 1,500 communes.
The vote is a test of the balance of power on France’s local political map before the 2027 presidential race begins to take shape. It is also a measure of whether the far right can convert national momentum into control of major cities, where it has often struggled to break through.
The most closely watched contests are concentrated in major cities after a first round that left France’s traditional left and right competitive, the far right strongly placed in several urban races especially in southeastern France, and President Emmanuel Macron ’s centrist movement keeping a low profile in many of the most closely watched races.
After days of mergers, withdrawals and tactical deals between lists, three-way races remain common in the runoff. Mayors and municipal councilors are elected for six years.
Turnout at 5 p.m. local time was just over 48% in France’s mainland, higher than in the 2020 vote held during the COVID-19 pandemic but four points lower than in 2014, according to the Ministry of Interior. Polling stations were open until 8 p.m. in the biggest cities.
Paris is one of the biggest prizes. Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist heading a list uniting the traditional left, the Greens and the Communists, finished first in the opening round with 37.98% of the vote, ahead of conservative contender Rachida Dati with 25.46%, while hard-left France Unbowed candidate Sophia Chikirou stayed in the race, setting up a volatile contest.
Grégoire campaigned on promises of continuity with outgoing mayor and fellow Socialist Anne Hidalgo, while Dati, culture minister until recent weeks, hopes to put an end to 25 years of left-wing leadership in the French capital.
At a polling station in Paris, some voters said turnout itself could prove decisive. “When things are a bit tense between two candidates, it’s abstention that can make the difference,” said Loïc Février, 51, a Paris resident. “If we ever lose this right to vote, it will be very, very hard to get it back.”
The mood around the vote in the French capital mixed familiarity with unease. “I’ve never seen very quiet elections,” said Valérie Pollet, 64. “Verbal violence, we are used to it ... but when I look at what happens in the U.S., I think here it’s quiet in comparison.”
The Mediterranean city of Marseille is another marquee battle, where incumbent left-wing Mayor Benoît Payan led with 36.70%, only narrowly ahead of far-right candidate Franck Allisio with 35.02%, with Martine Vassal of the right also still in play.
In Nice, on the French Riviera, far-right candidate Eric Ciotti, a former conservative who allied with the National Rally of Marine Le Pen, came out of the first round as the clear front-runner with 43.43%, well ahead of the candidate of the mainstream right who got 30.92%.
The far right also appears well-placed in the southern cities of Nîmes and the port of Toulon, a major naval base on the Mediterranean.
Other large-city contests will also be watched closely.
In Lyon, the runoff is shaping up as a direct duel after ecologist incumbent Grégory Doucet took 37.36% in the first round, just ahead of centrist challenger Jean-Michel Aulas on 36.78%.
Toulouse will test the appeal of France Unbowed in a large city after François Piquemal joined forces with the broader left to try to unseat conservative Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc, who led the first round with 37.23%.
In Nantes, Socialist Mayor Johanna Rolland starts the runoff ahead of her right-wing challenger, while Bordeaux remains open after Green incumbent Pierre Hurmic topped a fragmented field.
Last Sunday, voters selected their mayor in about 93% of 35,000 villages, towns and cities, where mostly one or two candidates, not associated with any party, competed.
Some linked Sunday’s vote to a darker international backdrop and to the presidential race looming next year. “We have war in Ukraine, war in Gaza, war in the Middle East,” said Elena Van Langhenhoven, 81. “And France, will it see a major shift next year, in the presidential elections? It’s horrendous.”
Associated Press journalists Sylvie Corbet and Alex Turnbull contributed to this report.
A woman casts her ballot during the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Women come out of the voting booth during the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A man and his son stand in a voting booth during the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A woman and her daughter stand in a voting booth during the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
People line up as they wait to cast their ballot during the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election Emmanuel Gregoire, right, shakes hand with far-left candidate of La France Insoumise for Paris mayoral election, Sophia Chikirou, prior to a TV debate between the two rounds of the Paris municipal elections, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Conservative candidate for Paris mayoral election Rachida Dati has makeup applied before a TV debate between the two rounds of the Paris municipal elections, Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
