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Aziaha James career best prevents NC State's recent loss from snowballing

On3 imageby:Ethan McDowell•01/21/24•

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Aziaha James-2
NC State guard Aziaha James. (photo courtesy of NC State)

Aziaha James did not force anything Sunday. She said all 33 of her points came within the flow of the game.

And whenever the Wolfpack needed her most, the junior guard came through with a key bucket on her way to a career-high performance.

NC State (16-2) took down Duke 72-57 thanks to an intense defensive performance and a scoring burst against one of the ACC’s best defenses. James was an integral part of the Wolfpack’s quick start and resilient finish that kept the Blue Devils at arm’s length during their final run.

James erupted for 11 first quarter points, knocking down a pair of threes to start the game off hot. After scoring 6 points on 2 of 16 shooting earlier this week against Miami, she hit 12 of 20 field goals, 3 of 6 threes and 6 of 7 free throws in the highest-scoring game of her career and also one of her most efficient.

From the opening possessions of Sunday’s win, James knew she could have a special afternoon. With that said, she was quick to deflect any credit to her teammates and head coach Wes Moore.

“I feel like I did good,” James said. “I executed everything that coach Moore told us to do. I had the help of my team as well, so it wasn’t only me playing out there.”

Over her previous three games, the guard scored 25 points. James surpassed that total during the win over the Blue Devils, which she credited to the extra work she has been putting in away from competition and practice.

The guard scored the Wolfpack’s first points of the game, 89 seconds into the contest. Seeing your shot fall early can have a serious impact on the rest of the day, Moore said after the game.

“You see the ball go through the net a couple of times, and now that goal looks like a kiddie swimming pool or something,” Moore said.

James joins junior guard Saniya Rivers in the 30-point scoring club this season after she scored 33 points against UConn earlier this year. This is the first time multiple players have reached that milestone in Moore’s 11-season tenure with NC State.

Duke’s guards are athletic, skilled defenders who gave opposing backcourts plenty of trouble during the Blue Devils’ recent winning streak. James hit tough shots, scored inside and out, which was the ideal response to Thursday’s loss to Miami.

In the game immediately following each of its ACC losses this season, NC State won by double-digits on both occasions. Now, the Wolfpack hits the road again for showdowns with Clemson and Boston College.

“Miami just took it to us down there, and [I was] really concerned going into this game because of the way Duke plays,” Moore said. “So, for us to bounce back is good, but now the next two are on the road, and we’ve got to see if we can carry that with us.”

Moore referred to this stretch of the schedule as the dog days of the season. NC State is more than two months into the regular season, but March madness is still a ways away. The Wolfpack head coach was not happy with the effort in the days leading up to their Miami loss, and graduate forward Mimi Collins said the program responded to that defeat with two excellent practices.

James said the team needs to maintain its work ethic and focus and Collins said the team needs to continue to remain one cohesive unit through the ACC gauntlet.

“Everyone’s body is going to hurt, everybody’s going to be tired, but if we can come together, like [James] said, mentally as a team and have the will to win, nobody can stop us,” Collins said.

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