Kay Yow continues to motivate NC State women's basketball
Aziaha James started one of her career-best performances by securing the opening jump ball for NC State. The junior guard immediately drove to the rim,drew a foul, and knocked down a free throw to score her first of 16 first-quarter points.
She went into this game with a quote from legendary NC State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow written on her bright pink shoes and went on to lead the team with 28 points. Both teams’ jerseys, the crowd and Reynolds Coliseum were all draped in pink for Thursday’s Play4Kay game, which ended in a 77-67 win over No. 15 Louisville.
The impact of this contest goes well beyond the basketball court. NC State donated $538,005.86 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund during this game.
“Even after her passing, she is still making unbelievable impact,” head coach Wes Moore said after the game.
Play4Kay night is extremely important to the Pack, and the players carried that motivation into this win.
“It means more than just the game today, especially with the survivors that came to the game today, it’s really important for us, obviously, to win the game, but [also] to talk to them and just let them know we’re very grateful that they’re here, and they’re just powerful women and strong women,” senior guard Madison Hayes said after the game.
Both Hayes and James agreed during the post game press conference that they could not let this game slip from their grasp. The Pack senior, who finished the contest with a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double, said the team played with mental and physical toughness against the Cardinals.
James embraced the words of Kay Yow Thursday night.
“When life kicks you, let it kick you forward,” the Wolfpack legend once said.
The Wolfpack star said that quote motivates her because she has faced a lot of adversity in her life. During the win over the league-leading Cardinals, she hit 10 of 18 shots, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.
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“I saw the bucket getting bigger and bigger every possession,” James said.
This is her fourth time scoring 20 or more points on 50 percent or better shooting during the 2023-2024 season. NC State is undefeated when James plays efficiently, winning each matchup by at least 10 points.
For Hayes, who finished with double-digit rebounds for the second time in three games, Play4Kay is an especially meaningful night because of how cancer has impacted her family. Two of her grandparents and her former college head coach Nikki McCray-Penson all passed away from cancer.
“It was definitely a big game for us tonight, for sure,” Hayes said. “I wrote their names on my shoes. Playing for them, that’s what they wanted for me.”
NC State led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, jumping out to its commanding advantage thanks to a 47-point first half. Louisville fought back into the game thanks to a dominant 17 point, 12 rebound performance by senior forward Olivia Cochran.
The Cardinals cut the Wolfpack advantage to 6 in the fourth quarter, but NC State ended up securing that advantage and a fifth-consecutive win while holding the lead for 34:04 of game time.
James said the message throughout the Pack was to “just empty your tank.”
“Rebounding was our main objective,” James said.
The Pack narrowly lost that battle 42-41 after giving up 15 offensive boards. Moore was not happy with that stat, but NC State battled against the Cardinals, winning another game in front of a sold-out Reynolds Coliseum crowd.
“Facing more adversity, it’s going to help us get better in the long stretch,” James said.
