North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women to Face Duke for ACC Title
3/5/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Triangle rivals NC State and Duke will battle tonight for the ACC women's basketball crown. The 7:30 p.m. contest will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Wolfpack will be going for its fifth ACC tourney title.
Championship Notes: NC State advances to the ACC championship game for the first time since 1991 when Andrea Stinson and Co. won the Wolfpack's fourth ACC title with a win over Clemson. NC State defeated Clemson in the semifinals 65-52 behind Carisse Moody's 21 points and 13 rebounds. Ivy Gardner scored 14 points, Amy Simpson added 13 and Tynesha Lewis contributed 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. The win assured Coach Kay Yow of her 18th 20-win season in 26 years at NC State. This will be the 12th ACC title game in which the Wolfpack have competed, which is more than any other league school. NC State is 4-7 in ACC championship games. The Pack are 4-1 against Duke in ACC Tournament games, but the two have never met in a title game. The NC State defense is ranked tenth in the nation in scoring defense (57.4). The Wolfpack (20-9) have won nine of its last 10 games and are ranked #20 in the Feb. 26 Associated Press poll. NC State is led by the inside-outside combination of All-ACC performers Carisse Moody (14.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Tynesha Lewis (13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.1 apg). Lewis was moved to the point guard position on Jan. 29 and the Wolfpack have won nine of 10 since the move.
Another key to the Wolfpack's success has been the play of guard Ivy Gardner. The Pack's best defender, and lone member of the ACC All-Defensive team, Gardner has picked up her game a notch on the offensive end as well. The 5-9 guard has scored in double figures in the last six consecutive contests. Prior to that stretch, the sophomore had only notched double digits in three contests this season. Over the past six games, Gardner has averaged 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists to help the Wolfpack to a 5-1 mark in those contests.
Noting Duke: The Blue Devils advance to tonight's championship game via wins over ninth-seeded Wake Forest and fourth-seeded Florida State. Senior guard Georgia Schweitzer has led Duke with an averaged of 26 points in the two contests. Freshman sensation Alana Beard has contributed 12.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals in her first ACC tournament. Duke (27-3) is ranked #4 in the Associated Press rankings. The Devils split the regular season series with NC State. Duke won 62-59 in Durham behind Rochelle Parent's 13 points and eight rebounds. The Wolfpack, playing without starting guard Ivy Gardner, were led by Tynesha Lewis' 17 points. On Feb. 18 in Raleigh, NC State ran away with a 69-55 upset of #4 Duke. The Wolfpack placed four players in double figures, led by Tynesha Lewis' 19 points. Georgia Schweitzer scored a game-high 20 for the Blue Devils. NC State holds a 38-16 advantage in the all-time series against these two Triangle area rivals. However, the Blue Devils have won seven of the last nine meetings.
Tournament Tidbits: The Wolfpack are leading the tournament in several statistical categories, mainly on the defensive end, including scoring defense (56.6), scoring margin (13.0), field goal percentage defense (.348), 3-pt. field goal percentage defense (.200), blocked shots (5.0). NC State has hit more free throws than any other team in tournament action. The Wolfpack have hit 42 of 49 for an impressive 85.7%. NC State has been perfect from the line in the last five minutes, hitting all 14 attempts. On the season, the Pack is shooting 70.% from the line, and 78% in the final five mintues of games. Carisse Moody has hit 17 of 20 for State while Ivy Gardner and Tynesha Lewis have each made seven of eight attempts. Duke has had more attempts from the charity stripe (54), but have only hit 37 for 68.5%.
Carisse Moody is the leading rebounder in the tournament with 22 boards in the two games. Duke's Rochelle Parent has 21. Georgia Schweitzer is the leading scorer with 52 points, followed by Moody's 43.
Wolfpack Players:
Probable Starters G - 20 Tynesha Lewis (5-10, senior, 13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.1 apg) G - 32 Ivy Gardner (5-9, sophomore, 8.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) C - 44 Carisse Moody (6-1, sophomore, 14.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) F - 25 Monica Bates (6-2, senior, 3.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg) F - 45 Talisha Scates (6-1, junior, 6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) Key Reserves F - 42 Amy Simpson (6-0, sophomore, 7.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg) F - 22 Adeola Olanrewaju (6-2, freshman, 5.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg) G - 14 Nanna Rivers (5-8, guard, 2.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.5 apg) C - 52 Christen Greene (6-3, junior, 2.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Leader of the Pack: Head Coach Kay Yow, in her 26th season on the Wolfpack bench, recently reached the 600th career win milestone. She has a 552-232 (.704) record at NC State and a 609-251 (.708) overall collegiate coaching mark. Yow owns a 30-19 record in ACC Tournament play. She has 18 20+ win seasons to her credit.
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.
