North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Open ACC Slate at Wake Forest
12/29/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2001
NC State, ranked 25th in the country in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, will travel to Wake Forest on Sunday for its first ACC contest of the season. The Wolfpack (6-5) are looking to rebound from a five-game losing streak.
Today's Matchup: NC State is in desperate need of a win after losing five straight non-conference games for the first time in school history. However, the Wolfpack has also played five non-conference contests against ranked opponents. A win today could restore the Pack's confidence heading into 2002 and the ACC schedule. A year ago, the Wolfpack snapped a three-game losing streak with a 75-35 thrashing of Wake Forest. Coach Kay Yow and her squad hopes to use Wake Forest to get back in the win column again today. Today marks NC State's first conference game of the season.
Preseason All-ACC selection Carisse Moody continues to lead NC State with averages of 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Kaayla Chones and Amy Simpson are each averaging 7.7 points apiece while Rachel Stockdale has stepped in with 7.3 points per outing. Stockdale has proven to be a viable outside threat and has made a team-high 15 treys on the season.
The Opponent: Wake Forest enters today's game with a 6-5 mark and a 0-1 conference record. The Demon Deacons had a four-game winning streak snapped by Valaparaiso in its last outing. Eafton Hill is Wake Forest's leading scoring with an average of 12.5 points per contest. Unfortunately for Coach Charlene Curtis, Hill is currently out with a broken foot. Sophomore guard Tonia Brown is the Deacs other player averaging double figures with 12.4 points per game. Center LaChina Robinson is posting averages of 8.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for Wake.
The Series: NC State leads the overall series with Wake Forest 44-5. The Wolfpack have won the last 10 matchups between the two squads. The Demon Deacons last win over State was Feb. 25, 1996 with a 75-64 victory at Reynolds Coliseum. Wake swept the Pack that year with a 76-72 win in Winston-Salem. The Wolfpack are 18-4 against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
Probable Wolfpack Starters: G - 14 Nanna Rivers (5-8, sophomore, 4.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.7 apg) G - 2 Rachel Stockdale (5-11, freshman, 7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg) C - 45 Talisha Scates (6-1, senior, 4.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) F - 44 Carisse Moody (6-1, junior, 13.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) F - 42 Amy Simpson (6-0, junior, 7.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Off the Bench: G - 31 Amelia Labador (5-9, junior, 4.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg) C - 50 Kaayla Chones (6-3, r-sophomore, 7.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg) F - 22 Adeola Olanrewaju (6-3, sophomore, 5.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
The Coaches: Head Coach Kay Yow is in her 27th season on the Wolfpack bench and owns a 560-239 mark at NC State and a 617- 258 overall record. She ranks fifth among active coaches for all-time wins and was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June 2000. Yow has been named a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award for the previous two seasons. Charlene Curtis has a 36-86 mark in her fifth season at the helm of the Demon Deacons. She also owns a 196-236 overall mark in her 16th season as a collegiate head coach.
Last Time Out: NC State dropped a 82-65 decision to Pittsburgh in the second game of the Cancun Tournament. The red hot Panthers hit 56.2 percent from the floor, including 52.9 percent from behind the arc. Freshman Rachel Stockdale led the Wolfpack with 17 points while Carisse Moody and Talisha Scates contributed 16 and 12 points respectively. Wake Forest was defeated by Valparaiso 76-54 in its last game prior to the Christmas break. LaChina Robinson lead the Deacs with 12 points.
Next Up: NC State hosts Virginia on Wednesday night in its first home ACC game of the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
