Second-half uprising fuels N.C. State’s win
Brink, Stanford can’t slow Wolfpack surge
Aziaha James scored 29 points as third-seeded North Carolina State earned its third trip to the women’s Elite Eight by beating second-seeded Stanford 77-67 in a Portland 4 region semifinal in Portland, Oregon.
The 11th-ranked Wolfpack (30-6) overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and led by as many as 15 in the fourth.
Kiki Iriafen had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the fifth-ranked Cardinal (30-6), who were bidding for their 23rd Elite Eight berth.
All-america Stanford forward Cameron Brink, who played high school basketball in suburban Portland, fouled out with 8:10 left. She had 13 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in her final collegiate game.
N.C. State went on a 13-2 third-quarter run capped by two 3-pointers from James to go up 4945. The Wolfpack led 55-47 going into the fourth.
■ No. 1 Texas 69, No. 4 Gonzaga
47: Aaliyah Moore had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the
Albany 1
■ No. 3 Oregon State 70, No. 2 Notre Dame 65: Timea Gardiner scored 21 points for the 12th-ranked Beavers (27-7), who shot 60.4 percent and held a 42-24 edge in rebounds. Freshman Hannah Hidalgo (22.9 ppg), the top scorer for the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish (28-7), missed four minutes of the second quarter when officials ordered her to remove a nose stud. She had a season-low 10 points while missing 13 of 17 shots.
■ No. 1 South Carolina 79, No. 4 Indiana 75: Kamilla Cardoso scored 22 points for the top-ranked Gamecocks (35-0), who had a 22-point third-quarter lead cut to two with 1:08 left. Sydney Parrish scored 21 points for the 14th-ranked Hoosiers (26-6), who missed two contested 3-pointers in the final 15 seconds.