RALEIGH, N.C. -- Aziaha James came off the bench to score 19 points for No. 10 North Carolina State in its 86-38 romp over Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday.
Diamond Johnson had 13 points and Jada Boyd and Madison Hayes both scored 11 points for the Wolfpack (3-0), which overpowered the Mountaineers with a 63-21 rebounding advantage. Hayes had 11 rebounds. James made 6 of 7 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers.
Natalie Villaflor scored 13 points for Mount St. Mary’s (0-3), which went 5 for 34 on 3-pointers.
N.C. State secured a 30-3 edge in second-chance points in a trend that began early, rebounding seven of its 13 missed shots in the first quarter.
N.C. State led 42-13 at halftime. The Mountaineers shot 17.2% in the first half.
The Wolfpack pulled away while Mount St. Mary’s went almost six minutes without a point and more than eight minutes without a field goal during a span extending across the first and second quarters.
BIG PICTURE
Mount St. Mary’s: The Mountaineers will need to shoot at a better clip to give themselves a chance against this type of competition. They worked for a number of open shots on the perimeter but couldn’t knock many down. Mount St. Mary’s also suffered lopsided losses at Virginia Tech and Richmond.
N.C. State: This was the third of four season-opening home games for the Wolfpack before a trip to Connecticut for a rematch of last season’s NCAA regional final. This should give coach Wes Moore a glimpse of how combinations will work, particularly with roles changing and new personnel mixing in. Reserves racked up 45 points in Sunday’s game.
BEEN HERE BEFORE
Mount St. Mary’s and N.C. State had met twice before, with the Wolfpack winning both times. The most recent clash came in 2014.
But the Mountaineers visited Reynolds Coliseum in March for an NCAA Tournament first-four meeting with Longwood, which won the game before losing to a top-seeded N.C. State team.
TIP-INS
N.C. State senior Jakia Brown-Turner eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career on a short jumper in the third quarter to become the 37th women's player at the school to reach that milestone. She had more than 300 points in each of the past three seasons. … Mount St. Mary’s has lost 10 straight November games against Division I foes, with nine of those on the road.
UP NEXT
Mount St. Mary’s: At home Saturday vs. Navy
N.C. State: At home Wednesday vs. Charlotte.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP—Top25
