NC State vs. Villanova Notes and Quotes

NC State Press Conference
March 17, 2001

Head Coach Kay Yow:
"Villanova comes from a very tough conference in the Big East. They have played a lot of good competition this year, and they really know what big games are all about. They have a veteran coach in Harry (Perretta). He has been here (to this level) before. They have (Brandi Barnes) in the middle, and we can't forget she has been their leading scorer for this year. They are a team that presents a number of challenges to us for sure. We know we have a tough battle ahead to get to the Sweet 16."

"As a whole I think defense has been a main strength of ours for the entire season. We depended on it a lot early on. As the season has gone on we have become a better and stronger offensive team. Still I think defense is one of our greatest strengths. It will be challenged by a great team like Villanova tomorrow."

"Harry (Perretta) is still the same has he has always been. He is still doing his usually great job and he is still into the game and in control. He is a man with a purpose and a mission, and he still is going after it strongly."

"They have a lot of patience on offense, and they are going to be moving. They remind me of Duke from the way they have a lot of movement. They set screens, but then they slip those screens and they countercut. This is the thing we faced against Duke by them doing similar type of things. We have to be very solid on defense. We have to be mentally prepared before the game in what it is going to be like for us."

Guard Tynesha Lewis:
"They (Villanova) have a very deliberate offense and they are a very patient team that shoots the ball extremely well. They are a very smart team, and Barnes inside is a really good player."

"I think having the home court advantage really plays a role in the first two rounds. It was amazing that we had that many people (last night) and we are on spring break. Tomorrow we really expect a nice crowd with people coming back from spring break. It was an extra boost last night towards the end of the game that kept pushing us."

Forward Carisse Moody:
"A lot of us had the opportunity to watch Villanova play yesterday. We noticed that they are a great outside shooting team and also they like to have their guards dibble and post down on the guards. We are definitely going to come out and practice and work on our defense posting up with the guards, and that will help us out a lot in tomorrow's game."

Harry Perretta
Villanova Head Coach

"We are very excited to be here today. My kids usually don't show much emotion, but when they won thqat game yesterday they were very excite, and I was very excited to be able to win a game in the NCAA Tournament and to advance. We are also excited to be able to play one of the better teams in the country. NC State is a well-coached team. Coach Yow is a women's basketball legend and that's what it's all about. To play against teams who are one of the top teams in the nation. We are excited about the opportunity and we are going to do the best we can. We are concerened about their athleticism. I think we turned the ball over five times on Friday. I think we'll turn the ball over more than that on Sunday. If we can try and keep the turnovers down and keep the pace slower, we'll have a chance to compete in the game."

NC State vs. Villanova
NCAA East Regional 2nd round
March 18, 2001
Reynolds Coliseum * Raleigh, N.C.

WOLFPACK NOTES:

NC State and Coach Kay Yow are now 16-15 in NCAA postseason play, including a 12-4 mark in first round action. The Wolfpack also own a 9-2 record in NCAA Tournament games played in Reynolds Coliseum.

This will be the fifth meeting of NC State and Villanova and the second time they have faced each other in the second round of an NCAA Tournament. NC State has won all four previous contests. On Mar. 14, 1987 the two battled in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Villanova, Pa. and the Pack came out on top 68-67. The last time these two squads met was on Nov. 29, 1991 in the Wolfpack Classic when a NC State team led by Andrea Stinson rolled to a 102-55 victory.

Villanova (22-8) and NC State (21-10) have two common opponents on the season - George Washington and Temple. The Wildcats beat GW 65-63 on Jan. 13 at Villanova. The Wolfpack downed the Colonials 70-48 in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 28. Villanova knocked off Temple 60-55 at home on Dec. 2. NC State also topped Temple on its home court, 71-64, on Jan. 11 to give Coach Kay Yow her 600th career victory.

Tonight's matchup features two head coaches (NC State's Kay Yow and Harry Perretta of Villanova) with a combined 53 years of experience and 1,017 career victories to their credit.

A win tonight will give NC State its 10th appearance in the NCAA "Sweet 16" and its first since the 1998 season when the Wolfpack won the East Regional and advanced to the Final Four.

In its first round victory over Delaware, the Wolfpack's bench contributed 34 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists.

Sophomore Ivy Gardner, along with being one of the team's top defensive performers, has become an offensive threat for NC State. The 5-9 guard has scored in double-figures in seven of the last eight games. Prior to that stretch, she has reached double digits only three times all season.

North Carolina State University Athletics

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