As part of its annual Play4Kay Game – which aims to uplift cancer survivors, celebrate the impact of legendary coach Kay Yow and raise money for research – N.C. State’s women’s basketball players wear special custom uniforms: white jerseys with pink striping and lettering. And where the last names of players are typically situated on the back are instead powerful words like “inspire” and “courage.”
Below the No. 10 on Aziaha James’ fit was the word “fight.” And after trailing by 11 points to rival Duke at halftime, the Wolfpack senior guard did just that.
Now, James didn’t engage in fisticuffs, of course. She battled with her skills on the basketball court, her competitiveness, her swagger, her tenacity, and her penchant for playmaking. She rose above defenders and sank sweet jumpers. She raced to the rim and seemingly invented new mid-air angles as she connected on a flurry of layups. And James grabbed a handful of hard-fought rebounds and engaged with the fans, bringing the sellout crowd at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh to its feet again and again.
clean
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When the dust settled, James had a new career-high of 36 points, and the 14th-ranked Wolfpack defeated the No. 10 Blue Devils 89-83 on Monday night.
And in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN2 in a Big Four rivalry game, James demanded everyone’s attention. She reminded folks that she’s one of the best players in the country and is someone who should be talked about much more often.
“She’s amazing, as you can see,” said James’ N.C. State backcourt mate Zoe Brooks. “She’s scoring the ball in so many ways. You can’t guard her. It’s literally impossible.”
James seemed unstoppable after halftime, where she scored 27 of her points in the final two quarters. She sliced through Duke’s defense like a hot knife against butter to get to the rim with relative ease, while also stepping back to drain a pair of 3-pointers.
Aziaha James is heating up
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In the fourth frame, James scored 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the floor. In all, she made 15-of-19 field goals and grabbed six rebounds as she helped N.C. State erase a 13-point deficit to extend its home winning streak to 18 games.
“She makes tough shots,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said of James. “She’s a talented scorer when she gets going. A lot of her stuff comes in transition… A lot of it comes off the attack, and she did a good job one-on-one, breaking down and getting to the lane.”
James was a big part of N.C. State’s recipe for outscoring Duke 36-17 on fast breaks and 58-34 in the paint. Her lightning speed, fearlessness and shot-making earned her All-ACC First Team honors a season ago, and this year has placed her on the Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year Watch List, which was released just hours before the Wolfpack’s win over Duke.
The native of Virginia Beach is one of just 15 players in the country this season averaging at least 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting north of 46.5% from the floor. Monday night’s performance marked the first time since last February that she scored 30 points or more. That came amidst a stretch where the Wolfpack won 11 of their final 15 games to advance to the Final Four for just the second time in program history.
James was a crucial component of N.C. State’s surge to Cleveland last season, and coach Wes Moore is expecting her to lead the way as another March Madness approaches.
“Sometimes, you just got to get out of the way and let her go,” Moore said. “This is her time of year. Last year, February and March, she was unbelievable.”
James has a knack for playing well in big games. But what really set her off on Monday wasn’t the fact that the calendar had flipped to February. It was the color of the jersey on the other side of the court.
“It’s a rivalry, you know? Today meant a lot for us. This is Kay Yow’s day. We didn’t want it to go a different way,” James said. “Duke and (North) Carolina – them blues, it don’t sit right with me. I’m bringing out my all every time we play them. That’s just it – we just don’t like blues.”
With the ACC’s new scheduling model – rejiggered this season because of the additions of SMU and Pac-12 refugees Cal and Stanford – N.C. State won’t play Duke or North Carolina twice in the regular season like they have in recent years. So, for James and the Wolfpack, one rival is down and another awaits.
James will get the opportunity to make her mark against the other Tobacco Road team that wears blue, the Tar Heels, on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN. The only thing that’s for sure is that game will be a must-watch, and the play of James is a major reason why.
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