Aziaha James' historic 1st quarter leads NC State past Charlotte
NC State guard Aziaha James made program history in her first quarter of the season in an 84-43 season-opening win over Charlotte Tuesday night. She racked up 19 points in 10 minutes on her way to a career-high 26.
The electrifying junior set a program record, hitting 5-7 shots and scoring more points in a quarter than any player in Wolfpack history.
In the first 10 minutes, NC State shot 76.9 percent from the field, hitting 6 threes and scoring 36 points. Charlotte scored just 8 and missed all 7 of its threes.
“It’s the first game of the season, just coming out and setting an example,” James said. “People are looking down at us already, so we just don’t have nothing to lose right now.”
Both James and graduate forward Mimi Collins said the extra doubt is adding more motivation to this team.
“We like being the underdog,” Collins said.
NC State held Charlotte scoreless for 7:50 of game time, starting at the 2:50 mark of the first quarter. The Wolfpack built up a massive lead in the second period and pulled ahead 40-10 by the official timeout. Shooting 1 for 18 from the field, the program did not generate much offensive momentum in the quarter.
The Pack went into the locker room missing its final 13 shots but still led 41-15. Charlotte outscored the hosts 7-5.
“In the second quarter, we kind of crashed a little bit there,” head coach Wes Moore said.
Graduate centers Lizzy Williamson and River Baldwin both picked up a pair of personal fouls in the quarter. The Wolfpack shot 1 of 18 from the field and 0 of 10 beyond hte arc.
At one point in the third quarter, all four of NC State’s scholarship freshmen shared the court, and they accounted for 20 total minutes in that period. Mallory Collier checked into the game for her first collegiate minutes and made a quick impact, grabbing 3 rebounds in 6 minutes.
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Laci Steele also scored her first collegiate points on an and-one bucket, Maddie Cox grabbed 5 rebounds in 16 minutes during the contest and former five-star prospect Zoe Brooks scored 12 points in her debut.
“We’re going to have freshmen who are going to have to help us,” Moore said. “They’re going to have to contribute.”
NC State maintained a strong presence in the interior throughout the game and finished the matchup with a 58-39 rebounding advantage. Senior guard Madison Hayes, Collins, Cox and Williamson all recorded 2 blocks.
“I thought, especially the first half, we really came out and played well defensively,” Moore said.
A total of 5 players scored in double figures. In the fourth quarter, Brooks and Steele paced the program with 6 and 5 points respectively. The Wolfpack won the final two quarters by a combined 15 points and left Reynolds Coliseum with a 41-point victory.
NC State returns to the court Sunday, Nov. 12, for a showdown with No. 2 UConn at Reynolds Coliseum.
“We’re very excited,” James said. “We just take it one step at a time. We’ll break down this film, watch it, see the mistakes that we did and execute in the next game.”
