North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Virginia
No. 25 Wolfpack Climbs Past Cavaliers, 62-56
2/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Billie McDowell scored 17 points and No. 25 North Carolina State rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat Virginia 62-56 on Thursday night.
The Wolfpack (16-5, 5-3 ACC) held Virginia (16-6, 5-3) scoreless for the final 3{ minutes, closing with a 13-0 run sparked by senior guard Kendra Bell, who scored six straight points.
Bell tied it at 56 on a fastbreak with 1:16 left, then gave the Wolfpack the lead on a jumper from the left elbow.
LaTonya Blue, who led the Cavaliers with 14 points, missed a short jumper on Virginia's next possession and the Cavaliers were forced to foul. Bell hit both shots to give N.C. State a four-point lead with 19.9 seconds left.
Bell finished with 10 points, all in the second half on 4-of-4 shooting. McDowell hit six of her nine second half attempts, which included a key three-pointer that stopped Virginia's scoring run after the halftime break, cutting the lead to 13. Khadijah Whittington scored 12, including a pair of free throws in the final 10 seconds. She made six free throws in the second half.
The Wolfpack used a 17-6 run in the final five minutes to retake the lead.Virginia's biggest lead was 38-22 with 15:30 left.
Aiding in the Wolfpack effort was junior Tiffany McCollins, who came off the bench in the second half and knocked down all four of her shots for nine points and also tallied four rebounds, two assists, one steal and just one turnover in 11 minutes.The Cavaliers had a 44-36 rebounding advantage, but committed 21 turnovers that N.C. State converted into 25 points. N.C. State committed only 14 turnovers.
Both teams shot poorly in the first half as Virginia went 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) and N.C. State 7-of-35. The Cavaliers were 8-of-8 from the line, though.
Virginia held N.C. State to its lowest first-half point total, taking a 26-16 lead into the locker room.
NC State's 54.8 percent shooting in the second half allowed the Pack its best turnaround in a game this season.
