North Carolina State University Athletics
UConn Stands In Wolfpack's Path Once Again
3/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Tony Haynes
Getting to the Final Four takes talent, good coaching and a little luck. It also takes the ability to defeat great teams. Three years ago, Coach Kay Yow's NC State Wolfpack found itself one step away from its first Final Four appearance. But standing in the Pack's way were the powerful Connecticut Huskies.
In that case, NC State did indeed find a way to beat a great team. With freshman Tynesha Lewis contributing 11 points and four rebounds, the Wolfpack pulled off an improbable upset to qualify for its first and only appearance in the national semifinals.
"It was my best win because it was the first time I had taken a team to the Final Four," recalled Pack coach Kay Yow. "That win ranks right up there with our first ACC Championship that we had won in 1980 and some of the wins over our arch rivals. Anytime that it is one of your first, it always stands out a little more."
Now NC State (22-10) wants to go to its second Final Four. But once again, the obstacle in the Pack's path is top ranked Connecticut (30-2), a program that captured its second National Championship a year ago. The Wolfpack and Huskies will square off in a 'Sweet Sixteen' battle Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) in Pittsburgh.
Even without injured senior leaders Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph, the Huskies seem to be as formidable as ever. Picking up the slack have been guards Sue Bird (10.5 ppg, 5 assists) and freshman Diana Taurasi (10.5 pts, 3.0 rb.). The force along the frontline has been junior forward Swin Cash, who is averaging 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.
"I look at UConn and I think they are playing great," Yow said. "If I didn't know that they had two players out, I wouldn't be able to tell. Their other players are really playing strong for them. There is a lot of talent out on the floor and Geno (Auriemma) does a great job out there coaching. He has a lot of other players there that are talented as well that are there, waiting for the opportunity. He has prepared them as well as he has prepared the ones that are already starting. Their turn came earlier than expected."
Just like Connecticut, NC State has overcome its share of adversity and misfortune to reach this point. After starter Terah James was redshirted to rehab a knee injury, Yow was forced to scrap her plans at the point guard position. And during the month of January, as it was posting a 2-6 record in ACC play, the Pack was a team in search of a floor leader. The turnaround came against Florida State on January 29 when Yow moved Lewis to the point. The rest, as they say, is history. In the biggest turnaround in ACC history, NC State posted a 7-1 record in the second half of the conference season.
"Tynesha has been willing to do whatever she needed to do to help us to be the best team we can be," Yow said. "She shoots more, she rebounds more, and she has more assists. She is the one that can take the other team's top player. Moving to point guard is evidence of that because it gave us an opportunity to be the best team we could be."
In her senior season with the Wolfpack, Lewis averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The remarkable year included a pair of triple-doubles. In that faithful game against the Seminoles, she scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in an 85-66 NC State victory. Lewis duplicated the feat in her last home game when she put up 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 84-73 win over North Carolina.
But while Lewis' exploits on offense speak for themselves, NC State's true identity has been built on the defensive end of the floor. In its 22 wins, the Wolfpack has given up an average of only 53.1 points per game. The Pack was second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (38.9%). But can NC State shut down the versatile Huskies? Yow says that's a good question.
"They've got a lot of people that can handle the ball and a lot of people that can attack off the dribble," she said. "They've got people that can come off screens with quick releases and can shoot the three. I wish I could see a weakness in UConn, but I just don't see it. In all honesty, I think we are a little better defensive team than we were in '98, but I don't think we're as strong offensively. I just hope we go out and compete and we will see what happens from there."
