Aziaha James and co. power No. 3 NC State past No. 6 Tennessee

Field Level Media|published: Mon 25th March, 18:23 2024

Mar 25, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Zoe Brooks (35) drives past Tennessee Lady Vols guard Sara Puckett (1) in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women's Tournament at James T. Valvano Arena at William Neal Reynolds. credits: William Howard-USA TODAY Sports

Aziaha James poured in 22 points as third-seeded NC State outlasted sixth-seeded Tennessee 79-72 on Monday afternoon in a Women's NCAA Tournament Portland 4 second-round game in Raleigh, N.C.

Saniya Rivers added 20 points for NC State while Zoe Brooks hit for 16 and River Baldwin scored 11.

The Wolfpack (29-6) advanced to the Sweet 16 and will face second-seeded Stanford on Friday in Portland, Ore.

NC State was up by 18 points at halftime and by 10 after three quarters before the Lady Volunteers rallied to within 65-63 on a layup by Tamari Key with 4:16 remaining. James made a jumper and then a 3-pointer, the latter with 2:48 left, to stoke the Wolfpack's advantage back to seven points.

Tennessee (20-13) pared the deficit to four points after Jewel Spear's 3-pointer with 46 seconds, but the Wolfpack responded with a pair of free throws from James and had enough to hang on.

Rickea Jackson racked up a season-high 33 points and took 10 rebounds for Tennessee in the loss. Jasmine Powell added 13 points and Key had 11 for the Lady Volunteers.

—Field Level Media

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