An easy tip-off victory turned south, resulting in a turnover on the first play of the game. Minutes later, star senior guard Aziaha James recorded her second foul on an aggressive reach, immediately putting the Wolfpack’s top scorer on the bench.

“Being one of the leaders on this team and having two fouls in the first few minutes, it’s not acceptable for me,” James said. “I gotta do better than that. I felt the first foul was one of those blew-off calls, but the second foul was out of frustration and that was on me.”

NC State women’s basketball looked like a shell of the team that beat then-No. 18 Ole Miss just three days earlier, turning the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes. Three free throws in the waning seconds of the first quarter from senior guard Saniya Rivers made the score look more appealing than it should’ve as NC State (6-3) was losing 19-17 to Old Dominion (6-3).

The two teams continued to trade blows as they reached a 26-24 Wolfpack lead with just under five minutes remaining heading into the second quarter media timeout. All the signs pointed to the matchup being a low-scoring defensive battle.

But blink and you might’ve missed it.

Whatever head coach Wes Moore told his team in the timeout sparked an inextinguishable flame. Just two minutes later, NC State forced an Old Dominion timeout after erupting for an 11-0 run after emerging from the media timeout. The Wolfpack shook off its sluggish, turnover-prone offensive approach from the first 15 minutes to establish a dominant 38-27 lead heading into halftime.

But it wasn’t just the offense that was clicking. After allowing 19 points in the first quarter, the red-and-white allowed just eight points in the second quarter.

So what changed?

“Just having fun,” James said. “Just letting loose, not always being uptight, and just playing our game. I felt like we were playing their game in the first few minutes, so we wanted to turn the game around for us.”

So was the approach for the rest of the game in the Wolfpack’s 86-55 blowout win over Monarchs Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.

To make up for its lackluster performance in the first quarter, the Wolfpack put on a show in the third quarter, scoring 28 points while holding Old Dominion to just 10. After playing just two minutes before her benching, James returned to the starting lineup on fire, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers en route to a 12-point third quarter.

James’ return allowed Rivers to take on more of a playmaking role, which she eagerly embraced. In a highlight-reel play, Rivers laced the ball through the defense to James for an easy fast-break bucket. Because of the blowout, Rivers sat for the entire fourth quarter but finished her time with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“Just stay on top of each other,” James said. “Listening to coach Moore, he said we were doing a lot of one-on-one stuff and we need to get back to the team chemistry. I think we did that very well starting in the third quarter.”

To go along with James and Rivers, a new scoring threat has emerged in freshman guard Zamareya Jones, who led the Wolfpack with 15 points. Jones has proven to be a dynamic three-way scorer who can punish defenses on the fast break, but has room to grow as a young player.

“She’s done a lot of really good things,” Moore said. “I thought in the Ole Miss game, she really gave us a big lift in the first half by hitting some big-time shots. She’s got to take care of the ball better.”

One of the biggest question marks all season has been in the post as Moore continues to figure out who will anchor the center spot. Sunday’s bout against Old Dominion gave him much more to deliberate as freshman Lorena Awou recorded her first double-digit game with 10 points while shooting 66% from the field. Additionally, six of Awou’s seven rebounds were on the offensive end of the court, allowing for more second-chance opportunities for the Wolfpack.

“She’s improved a lot,” James said. “Getting six offensive rebounds, you can see the aggressiveness she’s doing. I feel like her post move is getting stronger. They can’t handle her down there.”

Though Awou’s stand out performance has added another factor to NC State’s much-needed post game, Moore continues to weigh his options as the Wolfpack wraps up its non-conference schedule.

“We’re going to have to do it by committee,” Moore said. “We’re going to have to keep getting better. With Lorena, it’s almost unfair because we felt like coming in as a freshman that she would probably need time, but due to injuries and other scenarios, she’s been thrown into the fire. You’re talking about a sophomore and two freshmen, so we’re asking them to grow up in a hurry.”

NC State returns to Reynolds Coliseum for its final matchup before conference play in a matchup against Davidson on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.