Aziaha James leads NC State to first Final Four since 1998 with 76-66 win vs. Texas
It was the Aziaha James show Sunday afternoon as NC State advanced to its second women’s Final Four in program history. James poured in 27 points as the Wolfpack defeated Texas by a score of 76-66 in the Elite Eight matchup in Portland.
James came through time and time again, including hitting a 3-pointer with 3:48 that marked her seventh of the game, a new career high. That gave NC State a 68-60 advantage that proved too large for the Longhorns to overcome. That was as close as they came the rest of the way as they failed to muster enough stops for the comeback.
Texas battled back to overcome a double digit deficit in the second half and make it a 54-48 game by the 1:06 mark in the third quarter. However, NC State ended the half with a 3-pointer from James, her sixth of the game, to take a 57-48 lead into the fourth.
NC State jumped out to an early lead behind the play of James, who poured in 21 points across the first half of action. The Wolfpack held a 43-31 advantage at halftime after James went 5-for-5 from 3-point range.
James made her impact known from the start, recording 10 of her first half points in the first quarter. That would prove to be the story of the game as her performance shined too bright for Texas to overcome.
Madison Booker did all she could for Texas in the loss to finish with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, truly making her impact known across the stat sheet. The Elite Eight appearance was the seventh in school history for the Longhorns.
In addition to her 27 points, James also contributed six rebounds and four assists in the win. The Wolfpack move on to face undefeated South Carolina on Friday with a trip to the national championship on the line.
3-point line difference controversy highlights NC State-Texas matchup
Less than half an hour before the tip-off between NC State and Texas in the Elite Eight, the teams became aware of a significant issue. The 3-point lines on each side of the court were slightly different distances from the basket.
Despite the unusual discrepancy, NC State head coach Wes Moore and Texas head coach Vic Schaefer agreed to play to avoid delaying the game. At halftime of the showdown, the NCAA released a statement on the 3-point line discrepancies.
“The NCAA was notified today that the three-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance,” they wrote. “The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game. The court will be corrected before tomorrow’s game in Portland.”
UConn and USC are set to play at the Moda Center at 9 p.m. ET on Monday evening. The NCAA will have over 24 hours to correct the concerning discrepancy. Ahead of NC State-Texas game, ESPN’s Courtney Lyle provided further details on the situation.