North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
UNC Wilmington
Wolfpack Shoots Down Seahawks, 67-49
11/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State women's basketball (1-0) opened its season with a 67-49 victory over visiting UNC Wilmington (0-1). The Wolfpack was led by junior Billie McDowell's 21 points, while junior Tiffany Stansbury recorded her first double double with 16 rebounds and 12 points. The Seahawks had two players finish in double figures, including a team-best 19 points from Meagan Samis.
"There are a lot of things that I like about the game tonight," said NC State head coach Kay Yow. "We are really trying to find ourselves right now and I think that we did a great job. Coach Hancock has done a great job at UNCW and her teams are consistently good. I thought that UNCW played really hard and with a lot of energy."
NC State held the lead for the majority of the first half and held UNC Wilmington to just two points in the first five minutes. The Seahawks persevered however to eventually take the lead at 26-25 with just under two and half minutes to go before the break. Samis led UNCW with 10 points and Meg Withrow added eight after her 3-of-3 performance. The Wolfpack regrouped and hustled its way to a 31-26 lead thanks to two-straight buckets from McDowell as the clock ticked to zero. The guard from Lumberton, N.C. tallied 15 of her game-high 21 points in the first period off of a stellar shooting performance. McDowell was 6-of-10 from the field and was 3-of-5 from the three-point line. The score settled at 31-26 as the Pack carried some offensive momentum into its locker room.
In the second half NC State turned up its defensive effort to hold the Seahawks at bay. The Wolfpack tallied 13 steals in the second half alone, topping a first half effort of 11. Stansbury, who not only was strong offensively after she ripped down 10 offensive boards and tallied 12 points, but also defensively captured a game-high six steals. Sophomore Marquetta Dickens tallied 13 second-half points, bringing her total to 14 for the game. Her hands were equally as good on the defensive end as she wracked up a career high five steals of her own. As a team, NC State never lost its momentum and coasted to a 67-49 win at the end. The Pack forced 32 UNCW turnovers and outrebounded the Seahawks, 42-36 for the game, erasing an 18-14 UNCW lead at the half. The biggest difference lied in the steals and in the second chance points. NC State's 25 offensive rebounds resulted in 14 second chance points, while UNCW had just eight offensive boards and four second chance points.
"In the first half our energy did not match theirs and our execution was not what it needed to be," said Yow. "In the second half Marquetta (Dickens) went to the boards and started penetrating, which she wasn't doing earlier. Once Marquetta and Tiffany (Stansbury) started stepping up and doing what they do things got easier for us,"
NC State will take on No. 1 Tennessee in the Third Annual Women's Jimmy V Classic on Sunday, Nov. 21. Game time is set for 5 p.m. at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. and will be televised live on ESPN2. Game 1 will pit No. 4 Connecticut versus No. 9 North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Notes: McDowell recorded career highs for points (21), field goals made (8) and three-pointers made (4) and tied a career high for steals (4). Dickens set a career high for steals (5). Stansbury recorded her first official double double with 12 points, 16 rebounds (10 offensive). Coach Yow is three wins away from 600 at NC State in 30 years.
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