When the Dallas Wings needed a stop, they turned to the NC State product.
Aziaha James delivered one of her standout defensive performances of the season on Saturday, recording 5 steals in Dallas's 87-82 victory over the Phoenix Mercury — the Wings' sixth consecutive win. With the game still in the balance in the final two minutes, James came up with a key steal down the stretch that helped preserve the lead and keep Dallas's late-season momentum alive. She finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist alongside that eye-catching steal total.
The win was headlined by Paige Bueckers (26 points, 20 of them in the first half) and Arike Ogunbowale (22 points, 6 assists), but James's impact on the defensive end was singled out in the game recap — a sign of how much the Wings are leaning on her energy off the ball as the season heats up.
It wasn't an isolated night, either. The day before, James posted 10 points, 2 steals, and a +22 plus/minus in Dallas's dominant 97-77 rout of the Los Angeles Sparks. Over a two-game stretch from September 18–19, she totaled 7 steals and a combined plus/minus of +25. That kind of two-way consistency is exactly what a playoff-contending team looks for from a role player, and James is delivering it at the right time.
The Wings' six-game winning streak is no fluke, and James is one of the quieter reasons why.
Elsewhere in the WNBA this week, former NC State center Saniya Rivers — now with the Connecticut Sun — had a tough night in a different kind of result. Rivers put up a respectable 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 1 steal on Thursday against Atlanta, but the Sun were blown out 103-59, a lopsided loss reflected in her -30 plus/minus. The box score suggests Rivers did her job individually; the team simply couldn't keep up with the Dream.
No other NC State alumni — Jakia Brown-Turner (Mystics), Elissa Cunane (Valkyries), or Madison Hayes (Sun) — had notable activity during this period.
The headliner this week is James, whose nose for the ball and clutch defensive plays are making a real difference for a Wings team on the rise.
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