North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Basketball Notebook
3/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
#18/#19 NC STATE (22-10)
NCAA "Sweet 16"
East Regional * March 16-18, 2001
Reynolds Coliseum * Raleigh, N.C.
NCAA Tournament Tidbits: NC State is making its seventh consecutive NCAA postseason appearance and its 16th in the 20-year history of the tournament. Only seven schools have been to more NCAA Tournaments than NC State. This marks the 10th time Coach Kay Yow has led the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16. The Wolfpack have recorded 10 wins against teams that have won 20 or more games this season.
The last time NC State advanced to the Sweet 16, the Wolfpack went on to win the East Regional and advance to the program's first Final Four. In 1998, the Wolfpack had to knock off top-seeded Old Dominion and #2 UConn to earn the East Regional championship. Once again, the UConn Huskies are in the East Region bracket.
Despite being without two returning starters who missed the entire seasons with injuries, the Wolfpack have posted a 22-10 mark against what is ranked by collegerpi.com as the fourth toughest schedule in the country. Nine of NC State's 10 losses came against teams that are part of the NCAA field of 64. The Wolfpack finished third in the highly competitive ACC with a 9-7 conference mark.
East Regional Schedule:
Saturday, March 24: 11:30 #3 Louisiana Tech vs. #10 Missouri, ESPN2 2:00 #1 Connecticut vs. #4 NC State, ESPN Monday, March 26: 7:00 East Regional Championship Game, ESPN Wolfpack Players: Probable Starters G - 20 Tynesha Lewis (5-10, senior, 13.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.0 apg) G - 32 Ivy Gardner (5-9, sophomore, 8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) C - 44 Carisse Moody (6-1, sophomore, 14.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) F - 25 Monica Bates (6-2, senior, 3.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) F - 45 Talisha Scates (6-1, junior, 6.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) Key Reserves F - 42 Amy Simpson (6-0, sophomore, 7.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg) F - 22 Adeola Olanrewaju (6-2, freshman, 5.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg) G - 21 Daphne Hutcherson (5-8, freshman, 2.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) C - 52 Christen Greene (6-3, junior, 2.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
The Coach: Head Coach Kay Yow, in her 26th season on the Wolfpack bench, recently reached the 600th career win milestone. She has a 554-233 (.703) record at NC State and a 611 -252 (.707) overall collegiate coaching mark. One of the most successful coaches in the country, she currently ranks fifth in career wins. In June 2000, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. For the second consecutive year, Yow has been named a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award.
2000-01 Season: Despite losing All-American center Summer Erb to graduation and two other returning starters (point guard Terah James and power forward Kaayla Chones) to knee injuries, the Wolfpack Women have posted the program's 18th 20-win season. NC State won the Wahine Classic early in the season with wins over Arizona State and Arkansas - both earned bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack also posted impressive wins over #8 Texas Tech and #4 Duke.
NC State suffered a mid-season losing streak where the Pack lost six of eight contests in January. After struggling to a 2-6 record in the first half of the ACC season, the Wolfpack went 7-1 in the second half of the conference slate to post the biggest turnaround in ACC history. The Wolfpack finished third in the ACC regular season standings and for the first time in 10 years advanced to the ACC Tournament championship game before falling to Duke 57-45.
Carisse Moody is the Wolfpack's leading scorer and rebounder with 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Senior co-captain Tynesha Lewis contributes 13.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per outing. Both were named second team All-ACC with Moody also earning honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors.
Scouting Connecticut:
Geno Auriemma's Huskies are making their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The 1995 and 2000 national champions also reached the Final Four in '91 and '96. The UConn Huskies are 30-2 and ranked #1 in the country, but are playing without senior leaders and Kodak All-Americans Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph. Abrosimova was averaging 14.1 points and 6.5 rebounds before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against Tennessee on Feb. 1. Ralph suffered a torn ACL - her third in her career - against Notre Dame on Mar. 6. The Huskies are led by the backcourt duo of junior point guard Sue Bird and rookie Diana Taurasi. Bird averages 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5 assists per outing. Taurasi chips in 10.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Junior forward Swin Cash is Connecticut's force in the paint, averaging 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.
NC State has crossed UConn's path four times in previous years with each team claiming two wins. The first matchup occured on Mar. 21, 1991 with the Huskies taking a 82-71 victory in the first round of the NCAA East Regional in Philadelphia. Later that year, the Wolfpack avenged the upset with a 62-59 win over UConn on Dec. 29 in Storrs. The last time these two teams met was in the 1998 East Regional Final in Dayton, Ohio. The Huskies were favored to advance to the Final Four, but the Wolfpack pulled off a 60-52 upset. In that contest, freshman Tynesha Lewis contributed 11 points, four rebounds and four assists in the win. In both of the previous NCAA Tournament matchups, the underdog has come away with the win.
Probable Starters G - 10 Sue Bird (5-9, junior, 10.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 5.0 apg) G - 03 Diana Taurasi (6-0, freshman, 10.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg) C - 11 Kelly Schumacher (6-5, senior, 6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) F - 32 Swin Cash (6-2, junior, 12.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg) F - 15 Asjha Jones (6-2, junior, 8.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg) Key Reserves F - 34 Tamika Williams (6-2, junior, 9.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg) G - 23 Kennitra Johnson (5-7, sophomore, 5.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg) G - 20 Morgan Valley (6-0, freshman, 3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
The Rest of the Bracket:
Missouri and Louisiana Tech will square off in the other East Regional semifinal game on Saturday. Gametime is set for 11:30 a.m. and the matchup will be televised live on ESPN2. Missouri (20-9) advanced to their first-ever Sweet 16 by pulling off upsets over #7 Wisconsin and #2 Georgia. The Tigers are led by senior Amanda Lassiter who averages 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals per contest. Missouri's other post player, Marlena Williams contributes 13.2 points and 3.9 boards per game.
NC State has only met Missouri once on the hardwood, with the Wolfpack edging the Tigers 70-64 on March 17, 1978 in the AIAW Central Sectional Tournament in Denton, Tex.
Louisiana Tech is led by 6-2 center Ayana Walker who posts averages of 16.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for Leon Barmore's Lady Techsters. Takeisha Lewis, another 6-2 post player, contributes 11.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per outing. The Lady Techsters enter the East Regional with a 30-4 overall mark.
NC State has only faced Louisiana Tech twice in the storied history of the two programs. The Lady Techsters defeated the Wolfpack 71-54 on Nov. 20, 1996 in the semifinal round of the preseason WNIT. The last meeting between these squads occured in the semifinals of the 1998 NCAA Final Four with La. Tech claiming a 84-65 victory to advance to the national championship game. In that contest, Chasity Melvin set and NCAA semifinal record with 37 points.
How They Got Here....
#4 NC State advanced to the East Regional with 76-57 win over Delaware and a 68-64 win over Villanova.
#1 Connecticut advanced with a 101-29 win over Long Island and a 89-44 victory over Colorado State.
#10 Missouri advanced with a 71-68 victory over Wisconsin and a shocking 78-65 upset of #2 Georgia.
#3 Louisiana Tech defeated Georiga State 84-48 and TCU 80-59.
What They Are Saying...
"The East Region is definitely a competitive bracket, the toughest of the four brackets," - Vera Jones, ESPN commentator
"I feel it is a very strong bracket with teams that have great tradition and seasoned coaches," - Kay Yow, NC State coach
"NC State is peaking at the right time, winning 11 of its last 13. Tynesha Lewis is tearing it up, posting two triple-doubles late in the season," - Nancy Lieberman Cline, ESPN commentator.
