North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Jump Starts Season with Exhibition
11/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Nov. 15, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State women's basketball will open its 2004-05 schedule with an exhibition game against visiting EA Sports at 7 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum, Tuesday, Nov. 16. The Wolfpack enters its 31st season as a program.
Head coach Kay Yow and her 14-member squad kick-off the regular season with a second home game on Friday, Nov. 19. The Pack will take on UNC Wilmington at 7 p.m. NC State and the Seahawks are 1-0 all-time with NC State earning the win back on Dec. 21, 1981, 95-53 in Wilmington, N.C.
Co-captains, senior Kendra Bell and junior Rachel Stockdale will look to lead the Wolfpack to its 27th winning season as a program and 26th under Yow. The two are the Pack's only returning starters after NC State graduated three last season, including WNBA draftee, Kaayla Chones and ACC all-defensive team member, Nanna Rivers. Bell started 29 of her 30 appearances and missed just two games, due to illness. She averaged 7.2 points per game and 2.8 assists per game as a junior and led the team in minutes per game with 29.8 in ACC action, 26.6 mpg overall. Stockdale is the team's top three -point shooter as she hit 40.3 percent of her attempts last year (25-of-62). She started 12 of her 28 appearances in 2003-04. Joining them is sophomore Marquetta Dickens, who returns as the Pack's leading scorer with 8.3 ppg and 9.3 ppg in conference play. Dickens started in five conference games a year ago.
The Pack also welcomes four newcomers to the roster including two players of the year. Junior college transfer, Tiffany Stansbury was the National Junior College Player of the Year in her sophomore year at Gulf Coast Community College. Freshman Khadijah Whittington was the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year after her senior year. NC State will also have the added point guard skills of junior Tiffany McCollins, who came to the Wolfpack family from the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith. Freshman Celanese Bozeman brings her three-point shooting talents to the Wolfpack perimeter to round of the newcomer list.
NC State finished the 2003-04 season with a 17-15 record and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 17th time in its history. The Pack started the conference season 0-and-5, but won the next eight to finish in a tie with Maryland for a third place finish among the ACC's nine teams with an 8-8 docket.
Following Tuesday's exhibition and the season opener on Friday, NC State will host the Third Annual Women's Jimmy V Classic on Sunday, Nov. 21, at the RBC Center. The first game will pit No. 4 Connecticut with No. 9 North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. And NC State will take on the No. 1 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
