No. 3 NC State women’s basketball earned its second consecutive win over a ranked opponent with a 77-67 victory against No. 15 Louisville at Reynolds Coliseum. Junior guard Aziaha James scored a game-high 28 points with 16 coming in the first quarter.
The Wolfpack (20-2, 8-2 ACC) and Cardinals (19-4, 8-2 ACC) competed in the 19th annual Play4Kay game, which honors former NC State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow who battled breast cancer during her time with the Pack. Yow is the winningest coach in Wolfpack women’s basketball history and guided the Pack to its only Final Four in 1998.
Both teams wore pink jerseys and cancer survivors were honored at halftime. Over $500,000 was raised during the game for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
“It means more than just the game today,” said senior guard Madison Hayes. “It’s really important for us, you know, obviously to win the game, but obviously, you know, talk to them and just let them know that we’re grateful that they’re here and they’re just powerful women. They’re strong women.”
NC State honored its legendary coach by jumping out to a 47-30 halftime lead powered by 20 first-half points from James. The junior guard was hitting shots from everywhere on the floor and was especially lethal from beyond the arc with three 3-pointers. She started the game driving to the basket and that helped her get better looks from 3-point range.
“James in the first half was really on a roll,” said head coach Wes Moore. “She’s kind of streaky, and first half she was feeling it, getting to the rim and you know, hitting big shots. … I thought she really helped us get out to the lead.”
After both teams scored over 20 points in the first quarter, it looked like it may be a fast-paced offensive game, but the Pack got back to its defensive ways in the second quarter and held Louisville to just eight points in the frame.
While NC State locked down the Cardinals defensively, freshman guard Zoe Brooks orchestrated the offense on the other end. Brooks scored a team-high six points in the quarter and dished out two assists.
“She gives us that spark off the bench,” Hayes said. “She’s settling into that role that she’s in now. … She scored a couple of big buckets down the stretch in the first half, which that really helped get us going.”
With a 17-point lead at the half, it seemed like the Wolfpack was set for a comfortable win, but nine turnovers and poor shooting allowed the Cardinals to hang around. Louisville cut the deficit to six multiple times in the fourth quarter. However, James answered back with a clutch bucket of her own both times.
James once again put the team on her back in the fourth quarter, scoring or assisting on 10 of the Pack’s 18 points. Her one assist resulted in a Hayes 3-pointer that gave NC State an 11-point lead with under four minutes to go.
While James will get most of the praise for the Wolfpack’s win, Hayes’ performance should also be recognized. The senior guard recorded a double-double, finishing the night with 12 points and 10 rebounds. It was an emotional night for Hayes, who has personally dealt with the impact of cancer.
“Cancer has touched my life,” Hayes said. “My mom’s dad passed away from lung cancer before I went to college my freshman year. And then my granny, my dad’s mom, she passed away last summer before I came back for the semester. … I wrote their names on my shoe, just playing for them, and that’s just what they wanted for me.”
NC State continues to prove why it is one of the best teams in the country as it won its fifth game over a ranked opponent this season. The Pack also already earned its 20th win of the season, marking its ninth-straight season with 20-plus victories.
Things don’t get any easier for the Wolfpack as it’s set to face its third consecutive top-25 opponent. NC State will stay at Reynolds Coliseum to take on No. 16 Virginia Tech on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m.
