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Texas women's basketball vs NC State: Score, highlights from Longhorns' Elite Eight loss

Ehsan Kassim
USA TODAY NETWORK

Texas women’s basketball's 2023-24 season will end at the Elite Eight for the third time in four years following a 76-66 loss to NC State at the Moda Center on Sunday.

The 3 seed Wolfpack controlled the game for much of the afternoon, as it led by as many as 17 points in the first half and held a 12-point halftime lead over the 1 seed Longhorns. Aziaha James proved to be too much for the Texas defense, as she scored 27 points, including 21 points off seven made 3-pointers. The Wolfpack hit nine 3-pointers to Texas’ one.

REQUIRED READING:Rebounding could be a key stat in Elite Eight battle between Texas, North Carolina State

Madison Booker led Texas with 17 points but struggled from the field, shooting 8 for 21. Aaliyah Moore went just 5 for 14 and finished with 10 points. Shaylee Gonzales was held scoreless and fouled out with just over two minutes remaining in the game.

Here are the highlights from Sunday's game:

Texas vs NC State score updates in Elite Eight bracket

4:21 p.m.: Texas finishes with an impressive 33-5 record without All-America candidate point guard Rori Harmon, including winning the Big 12 Tournament and reaches the Elite Eight for the third time in Vic Schaefer's four seasons in Austin. Horns have a ton of people coming back, including Harmon, Madison Booker, Aaliyah Moore and Shay Holle. -- Kirk Bohls

4:18 p.m.: The Wolfpack are a plus-24 in 3-pointers and plus-12 in free throws. Made the difference in a 76-66 win over Texas. -- Kirk Bohls

NC State pulls off victory over Longhorns to advance to second Final Four

4:17 p.m.: For the third time in four years, Texas women's basketball season will end in the Elite Eight with NC State pulling off a 76-66 victory.

4:12 p.m.: Nine treys for NC State to Texas' one look like a killer. -- Kirk Bohls

4:10 p.m.: Madison Booker hits a layup and its 72-64 with 1:32 left in the game. UT calls a timeout after the basket, its final one of the game.

4:08 p.m.: Shaylee Gonzales fouls out with 2:18 left. River Baldwin knocks down two free throws. Wolfpack looks in control.

4:05 p.m.: Stepback 3-pointer from and the Wolfpack are back ahead by 10.

4:03 p.m.: Zoe Brooks hits a pair of free throws and NC State leads 65-57 with 4:41 left. NC State is without a field goal in over 3 minutes. The door is slightly ajar for the Longhorns.

4:00 p.m.: Media timeout — NC State leads 63-55 with 4:56 remaining. The Wolfpack will shoot a pair of free throws coming out of the break.

3:58 p.m.: Madison Booker with a basket and the foul. She hits the free throw and Texas is within eight with 5:37 left. Defensive stops will be the key now.

3:56 p.m.: Aaliyah Moore is fouled and misses a pair of free throws. Not good, trailing by 11 with just over six minutes left.

3:55 p.m.: Booker has to take over the game if Texas hopes to pull this out. In seven quarters in Portland, the talented Texas freshman has hit nine shots in 24 attempts and has seven assists and 10 turnovers. -- Kirk Bohls

3:53 p.m: Still too few defensive stops. First four NC State possessions. Three layups and one turnover. -- Kirk Bohls

3:51 p.m.: River Baldwin with a layup and NC State responds with four straight to push the lead to 63-52 with 7:22 left. Texas is not consistently putting together enough stops. Texas calls a timeout.

3:50 p.m.: Two straight baskets by Texas to pull within seven with just over 8 minutes left.

3:48 p.m.: Texas can't win trading baskets, needs more stops. NC State has a huge edge in threes, making eight to Texas' one. -- Kirk Bohls

NC State withstands run from Texas, leads 57-48 heading into fourth quarter

3:42 p.m.: NC State continues to have an answer for every run by Texas. After the Longhorns cut the lead to six, Aziaha James scored her first basket of the third quarter to put the Wolfpack back up 57-48 after three quarters. James has 24 points. Texas won the quarter 17-14 but will need a big run to win this one.

3:38 p.m.: Madison Booker scores her 10th point and cuts the lead to 51-44. Mimi Collins responds with a 3-pointer for the Wolfpack. Aaliyah Moore scores and its a 54-46 game with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

3:36 p.m.: Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda finishes off an and-1 on a fast break and the Longhorns have cut the lead to 51-42 with 4:10 left in the third.

3:32 p.m.: Shay Holle hits a jumper to pull the Longhorns within 51-39 with 4:48 left going into a media timeout. The Longhorns are sticking around but have not been able to cut the lead under double digits.

3:30 p.m.: NC State leads 51-37 with 5:50 left in the third quarter. Aaliyah Moore is just 3 of 9 from the field for the Longhorns.

3:28 p.m.: Shaylee Gonzales having a nightmare of a game. The senior guard picked up two fouls in 31 seconds and has four fouls and is scoreless in six attempts. -- Kirk Bohls

3:26 p.m.: Shaylee Gonzales picks up her fourth foul with 8:20 left in the third quarter. She's played 22 minutes, has 0 points, four rebounds and four assists.

3:24 p.m.: Two missed layups to start the second half for the Longhorns. They will need to make the easy ones to complete this comeback.

3:22 p.m.:"The 3-point lines on both ends of the court at the Moda Center for the Women's NCAA Tournament do not match up." - Read John Leuzzi's story about the 3-point line here.

3:13 p.m.: Texas has its four best players, including its three starting guards, with two fouls apiece. Something to keep an eye on. NC State has one player with as many as two fouls. -- Kirk Bohls

3:12 p.m.: NC State dominating in the first half with a great blend of three-pointers and drives to the bucket. Wolfpack with 16 fast-break points. Texas? Zero. Yikes. -- Kirk Bohls

3:11 p.m.: Halftime stats

FG% - NC State: 48% | Texas: 34%

3-pointers - NC State: 6 for 9 (67%) | Texas: 1 for 3 (33%)

Free throws - NC State: 9 of 13 | Texas 2 of 4

Rebounds - NC State 20 | Texas 20

NC State leads Texas 43-31 at halftime

3:10 p.m.: Big trey by Maul in the final two seconds to draw Texas closer at 43-31. Could have been so much worse. -- Kirk Bohls

3:08 p.m.: The Wolfpack have been in control for much of the first half, holding a 12-point lead going into the break. It has led by as many as 17, led by Aziaha James who has 21 points and tied a career-high with five 3-pointers.

3:04 p.m.: Wolfpack burying one three after another, now four of five and lead Texas by 11. Booker's gone cold and Shaylee Gonzales is 0-4. -- Kirk Bohls

3:03 p.m.: We've written all year this Texas team might be vulnerable to the 3-pointer. Today could be that day as NC State buries six of eight, five by Aziah James. -- Kirk Bohls

3:02 p.m.: Shay Holles hits a layup to try and stop the NC State run. But Aziaha James continues to shoot well and has 20 points. It's 40-26 NC State with less than 2 minutes until halftime.

2:57 p.m.: The Wolfpack are scoring at ease now. It's a 16-2 run for NC State and it leads 39-22 with 3:14 left in the half.

2:54 p.m.: Madison Booker ends the drought and NC State run with a jumper, but Aziaha James with another 3-pointer. She's on fire right now with 19 points.

2:53 p.m.: The NC State defense is putting a lot of pressure on Texas when it shoots. The Wolfpack has five blocks already. Aziaha James hits a 3-pointer to push the lead to 34-20. That's an 11-0 run.

2:48 p.m.: An 8-0 run from the Wolfpack now and it has pushed the lead to 31-20 with 6:26 left in the first half. Texas calls a timeout to try and stop the run and it'll be a media timeout. Aziaha James and Mimi Collins hit back-to-back 3-pointers.

2:45 p.m.: Saniya Rivers finishes off a 3-point play to push the NC State lead to 23-16. It's the largest lead of the game.

2:44 p.m.: Zoe Brooks hits one of two free throws to open the quarter. Khaija Faye scores to pull the Longhorns within 20-16 to begin the second quarter.

Aziaha James, NC State lead Texas 19-14 at end of first quarter

2:39 p.m.: Aziaha James has 10 points and the Wolfpack hold a 19-14 lead over the Longhorns after one quarter. NC State made its last four field goals, while Texas made just 2 of its last 10 shots. The Wolfpack are shooting 54% from the field, Texas is shooting 32%.

2:32 p.m.: Aziaha James has seven points already for the Wolfpack. NC State has an 11-10 lead with 2:30 left in the first following a pair of free throws. Longhorns have missed six straight field goals.

2:30 p.m.: Out of the media timeout, Shay Holle makes a layup and pushes the Texas lead to 10-7 with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter. NC State has four turnovers in nearly four minutes. The Longhorn defense is making everything difficult.

2:27 p.m.: At the first media timeout, the Longhorns lead 8-7 with 4:40 remaining in the first quarter. Madison Booker leads Texas with four points. UT is shooting 4-for-10 from the field.

2:25 p.m.: More on the 3-point line differences on the court here. The difference was alerted to the NCAA at 2 p.m. CT. Both teams agreed to still play the game today 

2:23 p.m: Aziaha James hits a 3-pointer to give the Wolfpack its first lead. Madison Booker responds with her own shot to put the Longhorns back ahead 6-5.

2:20 p.m.: Aaliyah Moore with a jumper to give Texas an early 2-0 lead.

2:19 p.m.: ESPN reports that the 3-point lines on the court at the Moda Center in Portland differ. Both coaches have been notified and have agreed to play still.

2:10 p.m.: Staring lineup for NC State: Aziaha James (G); Madison Hayes (G); Saniya Rivers (G); Mimi Collins (F); River Baldwin (C).

2:09 p.m.: Starting lineup for Texas: Shaylee Gonzales (G); Shay Holle (G); DeYona Gaston (F); Aaliyah Moore (F); Madison Booker (F).

2:07 p.m.: Texas forward Taylor Jones has been cleared of the concussion protocol and will return against NC State in the Elite Eight game. Jones will not start.

2:01 p.m.: Texas-NC State is scheduled to tip off at 2:16 p.m. CT. The game will be on ABC following the conclusion of Oregon State-South Carolina. The Gamecocks lead that by seven with less than a minute left.

1:54 p.m.: Texas women's basketball tweets out it is ready to get the game underway with photos of players warming up.

1:51 p.m.: In the game preceding the NC State-Texas, South Carolina holds a slim 62-58 lead over Oregon State with 3:37 left in the fourth quarter.

What channel is Texas vs NC State on today? How to watch, stream live

Texas will tip off vs. NC State onABC. Streaming options include the NCAA Women's March Madness Live app, ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Announcers for the game are Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) and Brooke Weisbrod (sideline reporter).

Team vs Team start time, TV info, location

  • Start time: 2 p.m. CT
  • TV info: ABC
  • Location: Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)

Texas vs NC State preview

TEXAS: Aaliyah Moore has averaged 15.6 points and eight rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament, taking a big step forward as the go-to player for the Longhorns. They have won each of their first three matchups by at least 11 points.

NC STATE: Guard Aziaha James scored a game-high 29 points (including 25 second-half points) to help the Wolfpack overcome a 10-point halftime deficit vs. the Cardinal. Stanford was 17-0 on the season when leading at the half.

Texas vs NC State odds, betting line, spread

Odds according to BetMGM

  • Spread: Texas (-5.5)
  • Over/under: 136.5
  • Moneyline: Texas (-250) | NC State (+210)

Texas vs NC State prediction, game picks

Here's a prediction for the game from Austin American-Statesman's Texas beat reporter Danny Davis:

Texas. Since fellow No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Iowa have each had to sweat at least once in the NCAA Tournament, it can be argued that there's no team playing better right now than the Longhorns.

Texas vs NC State injury update

TEXAS: Taylor Jones (concussion) missed the Sweet 16 game against Gonzaga. Her status has not been updated.

NC STATE: None

Texas vs NC State stats

Texas

  • PPG: 80.5
  • PPG allowed: 57.2
  • FG% 49%
  • 3PT%: 37%

NC State

  • PPG: 73.8
  • PPG allowed: 60.1
  • FG% 43%
  • 3PT%: 32%

Texas vs NC State championship odds

Odds according to BetMGM as of Tuesday:

  • TEXAS: +2000
  • NC STATE : +3500

Texas basketball schedule 2023-24

Below are the past five games of Texas' 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here.

  • Monday, March 11: Texas 71, Kansas State 64 (Big 12 Tournament)
  • Tuesday, March 12: Texas 70, Iowa State 53 (Big 12 Tournament)
  • Friday, March 22: (1) Texas 82, (16) Drexel 42 (NCAA Tournament)
  • Sunday, March 24: (1) Texas 65, (8) Alabama 54 (NCAA Tournament)
  • Friday, March 29: (1) Texas 69, (4) Gonzaga 47 (NCAA Tournament)
  • Sunday, March 31: vs. (3) NC State (NCAA Tournament)

NC State basketball schedule 2023-24

The past five games of NC State's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here.

  • Saturday, March 9: NC State 69, Florida State 43 (ACC Tournament)
  • Sunday, March 10: Notre Dame 55, NC State 51 (ACC Tournament)
  • Saturday, March 23: (3) NC State 64, (14) Chattanooga 45 (NCAA Tournament)
  • Monday, March 25: (3) NC State 79, (6) Tennessee 72 (NCAA Tournament)
  • Friday, March 29: (3) NC State 77, (2) Stanford 67 (NCAA Tournament)
  • Sunday, March 31: vs. (1) Texas (NCAA Tournament)

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