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How NC State defeated Texas to advance to the Final Four
NC State makes Final Four for second time in program history
After NC State upset Stanford in the Sweet 16, Wes Moore arrived at the postgame news conference drenched with slick-back hair and said, “Just call me Elvis.”
At the end of his off-day media availability Saturday, Moore reiterated, “Hopefully Elvis will make another appearance tomorrow.”
The good news for NC State? Elvis has not left the building.
The Wolfpack trailed 4-0 in the opening minutes and traded the lead with Texas for the majority of the first quarter. But they took control of the game with a 6-0 run near the end of the period, capped off by — you guessed it — a 3-point jumper from Aziaha James, and never looked back in a 76-66 victory.
NC State stretched the lead to 17 in the second quarter, and the Longhorns could only get within two possessions the rest of the way. It is the Wolfpack’s second trip to the Final Four in program history and their first appearance since 1998. Wes Moore made it to the national semifinals for the first time as part of a Division I program, as his prior appearance in the final weekend also came in 1998, but as the head coach of Division II Francis Marion.
Huge cheers here in Dallas as NC State fans watch on the jumbotron the NC State women lock up a Final Four berth.
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Wes Moore reaches his first Final Four
Wes Moore has finally got over the hump at NC State and is going to his first Division I Final Four. He's had some really good NC State teams. The 2021 and 2022 teams were both No. 1 seeds. The Wolfpack lost in the Sweet 16 in 2021 and in 2022 lost to UConn in the Elite Eight in double overtime. They lost in the first round of the tournament last year, reshaped the roster in the offseason, weren't even ranked in the preseason and got to this point led by a group of dangerous guards.
The Portland 4 all-tournament team includes Saniya Rivers, Aaliyah Moore, Shay Holle, Kiki Iriafen, and most outstanding player Aziaha James. No surprise here.
Final: NC State 76, Texas 66
The Carolinas will have two representatives in the Final Four, as the NC State Wolfpack wrap up a 76-66 win over the Texas Longhorns here in Portland in a game that they controlled the whole way. Aziaha James led all scorers with 27 points.
NC State will play No. 1 South Carolina on Friday.
More to come.
Texas coach Vic Schaefer just pulled Shaylee Gonzales in a for a hug as the fifth-year senior steps off the court, presumably for the last time, as a Longhorn. Gonzales fouled out with 2:18 to play, and Baldwin's free throws put NC State up 70-60.
River Baldwin helping NC State maintain lead
Fifth-year senior River Baldwin has been the only NC State player to score in the fourth quarter, but that's been enough for the Wolfpack, as their defense has limited the Longhorns to seven points of their own. Texas has done a good job of keeping NC State out of transition; the problem is when the Wolfpack settle into the halfcourt and pound the ball into the post, the Longhorns have no answers for Baldwin inside. NC State leads 63-55 with less than five minutes to play.
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Dimensions for 3-point line differ on each end of court in Portland
The court used at Portland’s Moda Center, one of the sites for the women’s NCAA Tournament Regionals, has dimension discrepancies for the 3-point line, according to the NCAA. The NCAA said that they were informed Sunday that the 3-point lines on the floor were “not the same distance.”
“The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game,” the NCAA said in a statement.
The court will be adjusted before Monday’s Elite Eight matchup featuring UConn and USC, per the NCAA.
According to the ABC broadcast, the NCAA notified NC State coach Wes Moore and Texas coach Vic Schaefer at approximately 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. local time) of the issue. Moore and Schaefer went onto the floor during pregame shootaround to see the discrepancy, measuring out in steps the distance from the free-throw line to the top of the arc.
Following the coaches’ request, the NCAA measured from the baseline to the top of the 3-point line and discovered a discrepancy at one end of the court from the other, per the broadcast. Despite this, Moore and Schaefer agreed to play the game, avoiding lengthy delays.
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Dimensions of 3-point lines on Portland court differ for women’s March Madness
After 3: NC State 57, Texas 48
Sophomore Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda has given Texas a nice lift off the bench, with her block on Madison Hayes highlighting a 9-3 spurt that pulled the Longhorns within six. However, Texas is still down nine entering the fourth quarter because of an inexcusable defensive mistake, when over-help in the paint left Aziaha James open in the corner for her lone points of the period. NC State is up 57-48, ten minutes away from its second Final Four trip in program history. The first came in 1998.
Baylor coach Nicki Collen comments on the different 3-point lines:
Texas has kept Aziaha James off the board in the third quarter, as Shay Holle is essentially face-guarding the Wolfpack guard in the half court, but the Longhorns haven't cut into the halftime deficit midway through the third quarter. They're still down 12, and Shaylee Gonzales — who averaged 36.7 minutes per game in Big 12 play — has to sit with four fouls.
The NCAA provided no explanation about how this happened, how they learned about it and what the actual difference was. This is the biggest stage of the season and for them to provide no context is extremely frustrating.
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NCAA says 3-point line will be fixed before Sunday
(Photo: Ashley Young / The Athletic)
The statement from the NCAA on the 3-point line discrepancy in Portland:
"The NCAA was notified today that the 3-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance. The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game. The court will be corrected before tomorrow’s game in Portland."
ESPN's Elle Duncan, on the ABC halftime show, said that teams shooting on the deeper side of the court are shooting 3 percent lower from deep than the other side.
USC and Connecticut play in Portland on Sunday.
Halftime: NC State 43, Texas 31
About the only thing that has slowed Aziaha James is a stoppage to determine who to assign a third foul to for Texas near the end of the half. Otherwise, James is on a two-day-long heater, and Texas is lucky to be within 12 due to a couple missed bunnies from Saniya Rivers.
The Aziaha James show
Whatever the 3-point distances are on the court, Aziaha James is having zero difficulty locking in from distance. She has scored 44 points over the last 17 minutes of game action, including eight 3-pointers in total. The Wolfpack are on a 17-2 run and lead by 17 with 3:14 to go in the half. Vic Schaefer and the Longhorns only have two timeouts remaining.
Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers are outscoring Texas by themselves. The duo have combined for 28 points and Texas has just 22 points with 3:14 left in the second quarter. James is nearly unstoppable right now making all five of her shots from deep. Texas coach Vic Schaefer is known for his defensive mind, he'll have to dig deep to slow down James and Rivers today.
NC State's guards greater than Texas' inside advantage, so far
Texas is dominating NC State on the offensive glass, with 10 offensive rebounds and eight second-chance points. But it hasn't mattered because the three-guard Wolfpack attack is crushing the Longhorns in transition. Thirteen fast-break points, including the latest Mimi Collins 3-pointer off a double drive-and-kick from Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers have NC State up 11 with 6:26 to play in the first half.
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(Photo: Ashley Young / The Athletic)
A wide look at the court in Portland … where the distances between the top of the key and top of the 3-point line don't quite look the same.
At the end-of-quarter interview, NC State coach Wes Moore was asked about what he learned before the game regarding the 3-point line changes and said "they were measuring some things, that's all I want to say at this time."
Hot start for Aziaha James
It's been the Aziaha James show in Portland for the NC State Wolfpack, as the junior has 10 points, continuing the momentum for her hot second half in the Sweet 16 matchup against Stanford. The game has gotten a little choppy with a spate of offensive foul calls, but that hasn't stopped James and Saniya Rivers from finding their rhythm.
On Texas' end, Taylor Jones missed Friday's contest because she was in concussion protocol. Jones was out with the Longhorns during pregame warmups. She just checked into the game in the second quarter.