RALEIGH, N.C. — Aziaha James achieved a career milestone by scoring 20 points, bringing her total to over 1,000, as the No. 13 ranked N.C. State women’s basketball team pulled away in the final quarter to secure a commanding 79-51 victory against Kent State on Thursday evening.

The Wolfpack, now at a record of 2-1, entered the last quarter with a 56-44 lead, quickly extending that gap by scoring the first 14 points of the period, with Zamareya Jones contributing eight of those points. The Golden Flashes struggled significantly in the fourth, going over seven and a half minutes before they managed to score two free throws, and it took them eight minutes to hit a field goal, during which they missed 11 consecutive attempts.

For N.C. State, Jones tallied 16 points entirely in the second half, showcasing a well-rounded team performance as 11 players contributed to the scoring and 10 different players recorded rebounds. The Wolfpack dominated down low, outscoring Kent State 46-6 in points in the paint.

On the opposing side, Kent State’s Bridget Dunn led with 17 points, while Jenna Batsch added 15. The Golden Flashes showed more accuracy from beyond the arc, sinking 10 of 28 three-point attempts compared to a mere 5 of 29 from two-point range, while they were also a perfect 11 for 11 from the free-throw line.

Kent State momentarily tied the game late in the first quarter with three consecutive three-pointers, two of which were from Batsch, but the Wolfpack quickly responded with a 10-point run. Dunn was effective in the second quarter, connecting on four threes, leading to a halftime deficit of only 33-28 for the Flashes.

However, the third quarter proved challenging for Kent State as they managed just 4 of 13 shots and found themselves down by as much as 17 points. After the break, their shooting dropped to 6 of 26, proving costly in their efforts to stay competitive.