Hot start, smooth finish: 3 takeaways from NC State women’s basketball’s win over JMU
Aziaha James flattened both hands under her chin, framing the bottom part of her face, and smiled. An official whistled to signal James Madison University’s timeout after James’ bucket put N.C. State ahead by 13 points.
James carried the Wolfpack on her back in the second half, leading the team to a 61-47 win Thursday night.
N.C. State (9-3, 1-0 ACC) was in control from the jump, taking a double-digit lead five minutes into the game. It led by as many as 13 points, thanks to a 9-0 run and 9-of-15 shooting in the first quarter.
The Wolfpack can attribute its hot start to effective defense that held the Dukes (8-4) to 3 for 17 from the field (17.6%), including eight points in the paint. It also scored six points off JMU turnovers and four in transition.
Sophomore Zoe Brooks deserves credit, too. The guard started 4 of 4 from the field, unafraid to take contact from defenders, and led both teams in scoring with 10 points at halftime. James, however, was of limited concern for the opponent.
The senior started the night 1 of 8 from the field and made just two field goals before the intermission. But she finished with 21 points on 9-of-22 shooting, 16 coming in the second half.
Last year, Wolfpack center River Baldwin praised James during the team’s postseason run. The comment came after James scored 56 points to lift N.C. State to its spot in the 2024 Women’s Final Four. Of those points, 46 came after halftime in the Pack’s two regional games.
“We feed off of her energy. Just the growth in taking smart shots and being a reliable defender has been great to see throughout the season,” Baldwin said in March. “And, as y’all saw this weekend, she is that girl.”
James showed the same grit, the same “it girl” mentality against James Madison.
“I don’t think I have time to doubt,” James said when asked about her mentality. “Being one of the leaders, and having the freshmen looking up to me, I don’t have time to doubt or look down on myself or anything. It’s go time.”
Even when shots weren’t falling, the guard provided key leadership on both ends of the floor. James contributed six rebounds, five assists, one steal, a couple of deflections and was often on the floor diving for loose balls.
James’ success is something — with all the inexperience and injuries — the Wolfpack will need as it enters ACC play.
N.C. State struggled to shoot consistently Thursday, which limited its ability to shut down the Dukes. It also played poorly late in the shot clock, often making bad shooting decisions that led to missed baskets and turnovers.
Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore called it an ugly performance, expressing frustration and disappointment in his squad.
“James Madison is a very good team, top 50 in the NET, so we knew they were tough,” Moore said. “We got lucky, to be honest, they shot it as bad as we did.”
JMU shot 18 of 66 (27.3%) from the field and N.C. State shot 25 of 66 (37.9%). The Pack pulled down 11 offensive rebounds but scored three second-chance points.
Its defense, however looked elite for most of the evening, as the team tied its season low for opponent scoring. Tilda Trygger led the team with seven rebounds and two blocks.
“You always worry about this game. Are they one foot out the door, headed home for Christmas?” Moore said. “I guess just be thankful. We’re 8-3 (sic) in the non-conference part of the schedule. We’ve just gotta hope we learn and get better.”
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s final non-conference game of the season.
Pack paints the town red in the first quarter
N.C. State has no issue letting it fly — the team has attempted 258 3-pointers this season — but its success in the paint often determines the outcome of games. The Wolfpack entered the game 7-0 when leading its opponent inside and was 1-3 when the opponent led.
Its early success helped turn that into a 2-3 record when the opponent leads scoring inside.
The Wolfpack took a 6-2 advantage in the paint within the first six minutes of play and ended the first quarter with an 8-2 lead inside.
After that, N.C. State’s post penetration lagged at times as the team settled for long-range jumpers, where it found little success. It was most inefficient in the second quarter, when N.C. State went 3 of 21 from the field and 0 for 12 from the perimeter.
The Wolfpack never fully looked confident driving inside, but it did find success down the stretch with James and Trygger finding the hole for a few open layups.
It finished with a 24-20 deficit in the paint and still managed to pull off the victory, but it needs to be more decisive.
“When you’re shooting 0 for 12, we gotta do something different,” Moore said. “We gotta recognize the shot’s not dropping, so let’s get to the rim. I know it’s tough right now, but at some point, we probably gotta get the ball inside and hope a post player will step up. But you can’t just stand out there and play horse when it’s not going in.”
Does N.C. State have a big problem?
Saniya Rivers dribbled slowly, backing into the James Madison defender under the bucket, and attempted a contested layup.
The Wolfpack knew losing Baldwin and Mimi Collins would hurt its frontcourt. It’s been a topic of discussion since the preseason, but it thought transfer Caitlin Weimar, coupled with Mallory Collier and Lizzy Williamson, could patch together a workable rotation.
Then, Weimar needed surgery. And so did Williamson. Now, the Pack is down to Collier as its lone true big with game experience. Lorena Awou and Trygger can play in the low post, and did so against the Dukes, but they lack experience. None of them possesses quite the same ferocity as Collins or Baldwin.
Trygger said Moore wants her to “be a dog on the court.” The freshman from Sweden looks to her teammates as examples she’s trying to emulate, though she admits there’s pressure to perform well in the position.
“You just have to stop thinking and just go for it, whether it’s rebounds or attacking,” Trygger said. “Just be aggressive.”
Moore said in October that he could see himself playing five guards, noting Rivers’ ability to play all five positions, but that’s not sustainable.
At this point, the Wolfpack is a strong team, but its inside presence — or lack thereof — is concerning.
Zam Jones does not play
True freshman Zamareya Jones was not available for the Wolfpack. The guard wore street clothes as she watched the game from the bench.
Jones’ absence comes one game removed from her career-high performance against Louisville, when the rookie scored 18 points in N.C. State’s 30-point win.
The team made do without Jones, but Moore is worried about the guard rotation. He said after the game that Jones will be out at least a few weeks after getting her thumb stuck in a jersey during practice.
“It’s a tough blow,” Moore said. “She’s coming off a great game at Louisville where she really gave us a big lift.”
Rivers was dealing with a virus and took an IV earlier in the day, so Jones’ absence left the team particularly shorthanded.
“When that happens, though, other people got to step up. Hopefully we’ll be able to take this and and learn from it.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 9:06 PM.
