NC State women upset No. 1 seed Texas, 76-66, to make Final Four

The Wolfpack women’s basketball team planned to get matching tattoos — even if some were temporary — if it made the Final Four. It’s time to book an appointment.

No. 3 seed N.C. State (31-6) defeated No. 1 seed Texas (33-5), 76-66, in the Elite Eight on Sunday afternoon after an elite — pun intended — performance in every area. It was arguably the team’s best performance all season as it held the Longhorns to one of their lowest-scoring outings of the season.

“I’m just so proud of these young ladies. It’s a long season. We had a little stretch [in] February,” head coach Wes Moore said. “We lost a couple of road games, and I think everybody thought we were going to fall apart or whatever. And these players just kept working, stuck together.”

Mimi Collins said she knew from tip-off the Pack would do it, but she and Zoe Brooks said it became real when the team went on an 11-0 run.

“We were so locked in and we were so laser focused,” Collins said. “There was nothing that could stop us. “

The shooting found a rhythm. The defense competed with desperation, even though it was often competing against larger bodies, and drew four charges. Brooks and Maddie Cox went diving onto the floor for loose balls, refusing to allow Texas to gain possession uncontested.

It also made great reads on offense. Just look at the number of assists. It recorded six on the first seven made shots. Those dropped in the second quarter, when Texas forced N.C. State to play one-on-one.

Even when the ball went cold in the third and Texas made a run, the Wolfpack kept making clutch shots. It finished with 16 fast-break points.

“I think if we can get into [transition] early, that will help us. I feel like transition, it’s our bread and butter,” Saniya Rivers said on Saturday. “I feel like we’re a really fast team. We can get it out. Anybody can push. Anybody can score. I think that’s definitely going to be the key.”

The Wolfpack compared Texas’ defense to Duke, noting its ability to force turnovers and force opponents out of their offensive rhythms.

“When you’re trying to run a set or get the ball to a certain player, they make it tough,” Moore said before the game. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up continuing to retreat to get the ball, and now you’re catching it near half court. And you don’t score near half court. You’ve got to really make sure you’re doing backdoor cuts and you’re attacking the pressure.”

Texas rolled into Sunday’s regional final having won 15 of its previous 16 games, including seven straight. It averaged a 17.9-point margin of victory during that stretch and routed Gonzaga, 69-47, to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Longhorns disrupted N.C. State for a few stretches, including at the end of the first half, but the Pack had little problem with it. N.C. State found its shot in every area of the floor and put together three stretches with four straight baskets.

“I knew Texas was going to make some runs,” Moore said after the game. “Obviously, they whittled it down there some, but, again, when you’ve got guards that can handle it, can get downhill and attack, it makes it really hard for people to try to pressure you and catch up.”

Aziaha James led all scorers with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. She started 5 of 5 from the perimeter and finished with seven triples. Four other Pack players notched double figures, with River Baldwin scoring all of her 16 points in the second half.

On the defensive end, N.C. State finished with seven blocks and six steals. Brooks contributed three, plus two straight deflections early in the fourth that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

“I could never see myself in this place, especially not as a freshman,” Brooks said. “Maybe later on in my career, but to be here now — at this age, at this time — it’s just a great feeling.”

The Wolfpack pulled off the victory, despite the game being somewhat overshadowed by the discovery that the distances of the 3-point lines were different. No changes were made to the court during the regional, and it was not noticed until Sunday.

N.C. State will play No. 1 overall seed South Carolina on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio. Rivers transferred to N.C. State from the Gamecocks’ program, where she won a national title in 2022. This is the second Final Four appearance in program history, with the first taking place in 1998.

“We definitely proved our point. We came in with a chip on our shoulder this year, being unranked,” Rivers said. “We’ve been singing the same song all year, and, now, everybody’s singing with us. People didn’t believe in us at first, but we’re here. We’re in the Final Four.”