Texas Longhorns women’s basketball falls to NC State in Elite Eight

Whenever it looked like the Longhorns were in striking distance, North Carolina State’s Aziaha James hit another three-pointer.

Whenever it looked like the Longhorns were in striking distance, North Carolina State’s Aziaha James hit another three-pointer.

James finished with seven three-pointers and 27 points as the No. 3 seed Wolfpack defeated No. 1 seed Texas 76-66 in the NCAA women’s Elite Eight Sunday at the Moda Center in Portland.

James registered 10 points in the first quarter as the Wolfpack took a 19-14 lead. James and Mimi Collins hit consecutive three-pointers to give NC State a 31-20 lead in the second, prompting a Texas timeout.

A 7-0 Texas run brought the Longhorns within seven, 51-44, before Collins made her second three-pointer of the game. James made her sixth three-pointer of the contest to give the Wolfpack a 57-48 lead entering the fourth.

Taylor Jones got a layup to bring the Longhorns within seven, 65-58, before James made her seventh three-pointer of the contest.

Madison Booker led Texas with 17 points. For the second straight game, Booker picked up her second foul in the first half. Texas head coach Vic Schaefer elected to keep Booker in Sunday’s game.

NC State (31-6) plays South Carolina in the Final Four Friday in Cleveland. River Baldwin added 16 points for the Wolfpack, while Saniya Rivers and Collins added 11 and 10 points respectively.

Texas finished its season 33-5. Shay Holle added 12 points for Texas, while Jones added 11 points. Aaliyah Moore scored 10 points.

The teams played the contest with different distances of the 3-point lines.