Louisville Falls at NC State in Top-15 Showdown

Olivia Cochran had a 17-point, 12-rebound double double in the losing effort.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Aziaha James scored 28 points to help No. 3 North Carolina State outlast No. 15 Louisville 77-67 in front of a sellout crowd on Monday night.

James shot 10-of-18 from the floor and had seven rebounds for the Wolfpack (20-2, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) in their fifth straight win. N.C. State was also boosted by 12 points and 10 rebounds from Madison Hayes and 10 points from River Baldwin.

Olivia Cochran powered the Cardinals (19-4, 8-2) with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Kiki Jefferson added 16 points and Jayda Curry chipped in 12.

After trailing by four points early on, N.C. State ended the first quarter with a six-point advantage after an 18-8 run. The stretch was kickstarted by back-to-back 3-pointers from James, who scored 16 points in the opening frame.

That momentum carried into the second quarter, which the Wolfpack opened with a 19-4 run punctuated by a steal and short jumper from Zoe Brooks that gave N.C. State a 21-point lead, its largest of the day. Louisville trimmed the deficit to six points in the fourth quarter, but never got any closer.

Players from both teams wore uniforms featuring pink in celebration of N.C. State’s “Play4Kay Game” which aims to honor former Wolfpack coach Kay Yow and everyone who has battled cancer.

BIG PICTURE

Louisville: Games between the Cardinals and Wolfpack are typically tightly contested. In their last 16 meetings, this was the 12th decided by 10 points or less. But N.C. State’s smothering defense prevented Louisville making it any closer. The Cardinals shot 36.8% from the floor, their worst mark in ACC play this season. Louisville also had a season-low seven assists.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack are establishing themselves as one of the elite teams in women’s college basketball this season and are continuing to boost their NCAA Tournament resume. The victory improved N.C. State’s record against AP Top 25 ranked opponents to 5-1, with their lone loss coming at Virginia Tech without starting center Baldwin, who missed that game with a foot injury.

UP NEXT

Louisville: No. 12 Notre Dame visits the Cardinals on Thursday.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack host No. 16 Virginia Tech on Thursday.

(Photo of Jeff Walz, Louisville Players: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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