North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Sacramento State
Women's Hoops Routes Sacramento State Hornets, 69-42
11/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2003
EUGENE, Ore. -
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The NC State women's basketball team defeated the Hornets of Sacramento State, 69-42 on Friday, Nov. 28. The Wolfpack improved to 2-and-1 overall and dropped the Hornets to 0-and-3, in the opening game of the Oregon Classic. NC State was led by two players with double-figures, including senior Kaayla Chones with 13 and senior Terah James with 10 points. Sacramento State's Stephanie Cherry finished with 10 to carry the Hornets.
"A lot of people were able to get playing time today," said NC State head coach Kay Yow. "I was impressed by the play of our freshmen, both offensively and defensively. Terah James also had a terrific night. We saw many bright spots, but we did see some more things that we need to work on to prepare for Oregon on Saturday."
Sacramento State opened the scoring in both halves by scoring the first basket in each, however it was NC State that would go on to dominate both halves. The Pack quickly made strides to keep the Hornets at bay, eventually reaching out to an 11-point lead with just over four minutes to go in the first. The Hornets, Stephanie Cherry, kept the Hornets in the hunt with her five points of the team's 16 total. NC State's defense held Sacramento State to just 5-of-20 shooting. The Pack on the other hand went to the bench and played 10 players in the first half, and all but three put points on the board. Chones had nine of her 13 in the first 20 minutes, while James added eight. In addition, sophomore Billie McDowell hit 2-of-4 three-point attempts and in fact, all of her nine points in the game would come from behind the arc. Senior Alvine Mendeng led on the boards with six, including three offensive and defensive caroms. NC State also forced 15 first-half turnovers, while commiting just nine on its end.
The second half continued to go in NC State's favor as the Pack gradually increased its lead to 30 by the eight-minute mark. The 30-point stretch was surged by the marksmanship of freshman Marquetta Dickens who hit back-to-back three-pointers. With the quick hands of senior Nanna Rivers and freshman Keisha Brown picking the pockets of the Hornets' guards, the Pack picked up its half-court defense and held on to finish the game with a 27-point advantage. Brown picked up three steals in the second half, while Rivers snatched twice, including countless deflections, that aided in the Wolfpack transition. Sacramento State's Cherry picked up eight of her 10 points in the second half to lead the Hornets.
NC State will face No. 24/25 Oregon at approxiamately 8:30 p.m.(PST) on Saturday. Oregon, 2-0, played Kansas following the NC State game. The Ducks and the Wolfpack can be viewed live on www.goducks.com with a live video feed. Windows Media Player will be needed to view the game however. NC State's next home game is set for Dec. 3, versus East Carolina in Reynolds Coliseum.
