North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Host Virginia in ACC Home Opener
1/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2002
Coach Kay Yow and the Wolfpack Women will host the Virginia Cavaliers tonight at Reynolds Coliseum in NC State's ACC home opener. Both squads enter tonight's matchups with identical 7-5 records. The Wolfpack own a 1-0 conference record while Virginia has a 0-1 league mark. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Tonight's Matchup: Both of these teams have struggled early in the season in non-conference action and are looking to get off to a good start in ACC play. Both teams are extremely young, the Wolfpack have one senior on the roster, while Virginia has only two. There are six underclassmen on the two combined starting lineups. Virginia has struggled to find consistent shooters this season and are averaging only 39.8 percent from the floor. While the Wolfpack are averaging 42.2 percent, it has also been in a shooting slump in the last several weeks. Both squads are averaging scoring in the mid-60s while holding opponents to the low-60s. A key for the Wolfpack tonight will be to win the battle of the boards and cut back on its turnovers. NC State has outrebounded its opponents in six of its seven wins. The Pack also hope to continue its ACC winning streak and bounce back in the national polls. NC State has dropped out of both polls for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
The Opponent: Virginia enters tonight's contest with a 7-5 record and 0-1 conference mark. The Cavaliers have posted wins over Virginia Tech, UC Santa Barbara and Florida International, but has losses versus Richmond, Rutgers and Tulane. Senior Telisha Quarles is leading the Cavaliers with 16.3 points per game. The 5-8 guard recently scored the 1,000th point of her career. Freshman Brandi Teamer is posting averages of 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per outing and sharpshooter Anna Prillaman is scoring 10.2 per contest.
The Series: Virginia is the only team in the ACC that NC State does not hold a winning record against. The Cavs lead the all-time series 28-24. Last year, the conference series was split, with each team winning on its home court. UVa had won five straight games against the Wolfpack until NC State's 71-56 win in Reynolds last February. The Pack hold a 13-12 advantage against Virginia in games played in Reynolds.
Probable Wolfpack Starters: G - 14 Nanna Rivers (5-8, sophomore, 4.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.5 apg) G - 2 Rachel Stockdale (5-11, freshman, 6.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg) C - 45 Talisha Scates (6-1, senior, 5.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg) F - 44 Carisse Moody (6-1, junior, 13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) F - 42 Amy Simpson (6-0, junior, 7.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Probable Cavalier Starters: G - 10 Telisha Quarles (5-7, senior, 16.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg) G - 12 LaTonya Blue (5-9, freshman, 9.3 ppt, 6.2 rpg) C - 30 Brandi Teamer (6-0, freshman, 12.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) F - 21 Anna Prillaman (5-10, sophomore, 10.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) F - 41 Anna Crosswhite (6-1, sophomore, 5.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
The Coaches: Head Coach Kay Yow is in her 27th season on the Wolfpack bench and owns a 561-239 mark at NC State and a 618- 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. Debbie Ryan is in her 25th season at the helm of the Virginia program and owns a 551-202 record in Charlottesville.
Last Time Out: NC State snapped its five-game losing streak with a 61-47 win at Wake Forest on Sunday. Freshman Liz Bailey came off the bench to drain six three-pointers and score a game-high 20 points to lead the Wolfpack. Carisse Moody chipped in 12 points while Talisha Scates grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. Virginia dropped a 74-63 decision to #23/#25 Tulane in the championship game of tjhe Green Wave's tournament in New Orleans. Telisha Quarles led Virginia with 17 points while Brandi Teamer posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Next Up: NC State hosts Georgia Tech on Sunday, Jan. 6 in a 2 p.m. contest in Reynolds Coliseum. The Wolfpack then face back-to-back rivals as NC State plays at North Carolina on Jan. 10 and then host Duke on Jan. 13.
