Texas can't solve North Carolina State's Aziaha James, falls to Wolfpack in Elite 8 loss

PORTLAND, Ore. — For the Texas Longhorns, the long wait continues.

Shoved into an early hole by North Carolina States' Aziaha James, No. 1-seeded Texas was unable to save its season in a 76-66 loss to the third-seeded Wolfpack at the Moda Center on Sunday. The loss in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament ended the season for Texas (33-5). The Longhorns were looking to secure their first trip to the Final Four since 2003.

Texas couldn't overcome its sluggish start

Texas had outscored opponents by an average of eight points in the first quarter this season. But that wasn't the case on Sunday. The Longhorns shot just 31.8% from the field through the first 10 minutes. On one possession, Texas guard Shaylee Gonzales missed three separate attempts.

Meanwhile, North Carolina State (31-6) got 10 points in the first quarter from James and grabbed a 19-14 lead. That expanded to a 12-point lead at halftime behind an offensive outburst by James, a junior guard who scored 21 points and knocked down all five of the 3-pointers she attempted. She finished the game with 27 points.

Close, but not close enough in the second half

Texas crept to within six points with 66 seconds left in the third quarter, but James responded with another 3-pointer and the Longhorns never got any closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Led by Madison Booker's 17 points, Texas was making its third trip to the Elite Eight round in Vic Schaefer's four-year tenure as the program's head coach. But the Longhorns fell just short of the Final Four, just as they did in Elite Eight losses to South Carolina in 2021 and Stanford in 2022.

James was 9-of-17 from the floor, including 7-of-9 on 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds and four assists. Wolfpack center River Baldwin added 16. North Carolina State will face undefeated South Carolina in Cleveland on Friday; the Gamecocks beat third-seeded Oregon State 70-58 on Sunday.