North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Host Maryland in ACC Matchup
1/28/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2002
Tonight's Matchup: Tonight will be a battle of two teams with high preseason expectations that are now trying to climb back into the top half of the ACC standings and make a run at an NCAA Tournament berth. This is the Wolfpack's last game of the first round of the ACC slate and the Pack is looking for a win to pull to .500 in conference play. NC State is 9-9 overall, marking the first time the Wolfpack haven't been above .500 in January since the Wolfpack was 8-8 in the 1992-93 season. The last time NC State dropped below .500 in January was during the 1987-88 season when the Pack was 7-11 at the end of the first month of the year.
This is the fourth time this season NC State has appeared on television and the Wolfpack is still looking for its first win in front of a TV audience. NC State has lost previous televised contests to Tennessee, Duke and Florida State. Tonight's contest will be broadcast by FOX Sports Net with Beth Mowins serving as the play-by-play announcer and Debbie Antonelli and color analyst.
The Opponent: Maryland snapped a three-game losing streak Thursday night with a 57-46 come-from-behind win over Wake Forest. However, the Terps are still in the bottom half of the league standings with a 3-5 mark. Maryland is led by the senior duo of Marche Strickland and Deedee Warley. Strickland is averaging 13.2 points per outing with Warley is contributing 11.1 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds.
The Series: NC State holds a 35-26 advantage in games against Maryland, including a 19-6 lead in games played in Raleigh. The Wolfpack had won four straight in the series until last year when the Terps were the only league team to sweep the regular season series with NC State. It marked the first time Maryland had won in Reynolds Coliseum since 1991. The Wolfpack had the final say though, defeating Maryland 74-61 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. These two programs were the dominate teams in the early days of the ACC. Maryland and NC State battled for the conference title in the first four ACC Tournament championship games. Eleven of the first 12 ACC championships were won by one of these two squads. Nine of the first 13 ACC regular season titles were won by either the Pack or the Terps.
Probable Wolfpack Starters: G - 30 Kendra Bell (5-5, freshman, 3.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.8 apg) G - 14 Nanna Rivers (5-8, sophomore, 4.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.5 apg) C - 50 Kaayla Chones (6-3, r-sophomore, 12.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg) F - 45 Talisha Scates (6-1, senior, 5.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg) F - 42 Amy Simpson (6-0, junior, 8.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
Probable Terps Starters: G - 31 Anesia Smith (5-10, freshman 5.6 ppg, 1.8rpg) G - 20 Marche Strickland (5-9, senior, 13.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg) C - 24 Jamecca Harrell (6-4, senior, 5.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg) F - 21 Renneika Razor (5-8, junior, 8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg) F - 05 Terri Daniels (5-11, junior, 4.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
The Coaches: Head Coach Kay Yow is in her 27th season on the Wolfpack bench and owns a 563-243 mark at NC State and a 620-262 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. Chris Weller owns a 496-278 mark in her 27th season at the helm of the Maryland program.
Last Time Out: NC State lost its third straight contest with a 62-51 defeat Thursday night at Clemson. Kaayla Chones recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and 15 rebounds. After falling behind 34-18 at halftime, Maryland outscored Wake Forest 39-12 after intermission to claim a 57-46 conference victory. The Terps were led by Marche Strickland's 18 points and Deedee Warley's 12 points and 17 rebounds.
Next Up: NC State hosts Wake Forest on Thursday night in Reynolds Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
