North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
UNC Greensboro
Whittington Leads NC State Over UNC Greensboro
11/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. -
A career-night from sophomore Khadijah Whittington propelled No. 23 NC State to a 76-46 victory over visiting UNC Greensboro Friday, Nov. 18. The Roanoke, Va. native posted her third career double-double while setting career highs of 21 points and 16 rebounds. Whittington also attempted NC State's first dunk in a game with 1:46 left in regulation. Her fast break attempt was lost as her hand gripped and pulled down the rim, the ball slipped from her fingers. The Wolfpack fans cheered her on anyway as NC State exited Reynolds with its first win of the season. The Wolfpack travels to Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Sunday, Nov. 20. UNC Greensboro will host Longwood on Nov. 25.
Three NC State players reached double figures, led by Whittingto's 21 points. Senior center Tiffany Stansbury added 15 and junior Keisha Brown finished with 10. UNC Greensboro's junior Jasmine Byrd led the Spartans with 12 points and sophomore Kemena Brooks tallied 10.
Powered by 15 first half points from Whittington, NC State built a commanding first half lead of 22 points heading into the break. The Wolfpack posted 42 points and forced 15 Spartan turnovers in the period and never looked back. Whittington nearly had a double-double in the half with her nine rebounds. She also added two blocks and one steal to keep NC State's defense sharp.
"I liked the aggressiveness of the team," said NC State head coach Kay Yow. "I like how we are penetrating and moving the ball around. We're keeping the floor spread very well. It's great to get that first game under our belt and to go against another team that plays strongly, helps a lot."
NC State's defensive pressure, which included 18 steals, forced UNCG to fumble 35 turnovers. Five of those picks came from junior Keisha Brown, who also scored the most points since her freshman season with 10 on the night. With the defense firing, the Wolfpack offense took the back seat for several minutes in the second half. NC State stalled at the 53-point mark for five minutes, while UNC Greensboro posted eight points and cut its deficit to 11 with 10:46 left in the game.
The Wolfpack didn't back down and regrouped to finish strongly. NC State then went on a 14-4 run to cap off the biggest lead up to that point at 28 points with 4:27 to go. Then as the Pack's defense picked off its 16th steal of the night, thanks to Whittington, she raced down the floor to make history and attempt the program's first dunk with 1:46 remaining.
"I practice dunking after practice everyday and I finally had a chance in a game to see if I could make it pay off," said Whittington. "I lost my grip this time, but I hope it isn't my last opportunity."
