Aziaha James picked a fine time for a great performance. She wasted no time getting it rolling, putting up 16 points in the first quarter to fuel a 28-point outburst by the Wolfpack over the first 10 minutes.
It was a really entertaining first half, as State piled up 47 points and built a 17-point halftime advantage. Louisville went cold in the second quarter, and had more turnovers (5) than made baskets (3). State outscored Louisville 15-2 to start the second quarter and led by as many as 21 before the break.
Four Factors
Four Factors
| … | NC State | Louisville |
|---|---|---|
| eFG% | 51.7 | 38.2 |
| TO% | 17.9 | 16.5 |
| OR% | 27.0 | 32.6 |
| FTR | 41.4 | 25.0 |
Pace and Efficiency
| Team | Pts | Poss | OFF_EFF | DEF_EFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 67 | 73 | 91.8 | 105.5 |
| NC State | 77 | 73 | 105.5 | 91.8 |
Louisville is too good to fold up under that halftime deficit and the Cards didn’t, whittling the Wolfpack lead to 10 by the fourth quarter and twice cutting the lead to six points. But NC State had the answers it needed down the stretch, and James canned a dagger three with 2:37 remaining to push the Pack’s lead back to nine. State closed it out from there.
James finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-18 shooting, including 4-7 from three. Madison Hayes had 12 points, and also knocked down four three-pointers. Perimeter scoring was the big differentiator tonight, as both teams struggled to score effectively inside the arc, but State shot 10-21 from three, while Louisville was just 4-16.