North Carolina State University Athletics
Gartrell leads Women's Basketball Team to Exhibition Win
11/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. Nikitta Gartrell scored a game-high 20 points to lead the NC State women’s basketball team to a comfortable 76-53 victory over Premier Players in exhibition action Wednesday night at Reynolds Coliseum.
Gartrell, the freshman from Atlanta, Ga., went 9-for-10 from the field, which included making her first nine attempts on the evening. Khadijah Whittington posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Megan Zullo added 10 points for the Wolfpack.
Nikita Bell and Leah Metcalf, both former North Carolina Tar Heel players, scored 12 and 10 points respectively for the Premier Players.
Gartrell broke open a close game with 10 points in the opening eight minutes of the game to give the Pack a 20-12 lead. The Premier Players came back and actually tied things up, 26-26, before NC State went on a 17-7 run to close the half and go into halftime up 43-33. Gartrell scored the last of her 16 first-half points with a 3-pointer just before the buzzer went off to end the half.
The Wolfpack shot an efficient 53.1 percent for the field in the opening 20 minutes.
The Pack defense then clamped down and held the Premier Players scoreless over the first 7:23 of the second half. During that time, the home team opened up a 56-33 lead after Keisha Brown canned a jumper in the paint at the 14:03 mark.
From that point, the Pack opened up its lead to as many as 26 points, 76-50, after a Sharnise Beal jumper with under minute left to play.
NC State gets its regular season under way on Thursday, Novermber 9 when the Pack hosts High Point in the opening round of the WNIT. Game time is set for 7 pm in Reynolds Coliseum.
AGATE
NC STATE 76, PREMIER PLAYERS 53
PREMIER PLAYERS
Bell, Nikita 4-7 4-4 12; Metcalf, Leah 2-9 5-8 10; Pam, Tynecia 2-7 1-2 5; Alsdurf, Katie 2-7 0-0 5; Sowho, Sherelle 2-5 0-0 4; Murphy, Camille 2-6 0-0 4; Johns-Richardson, V. 2-4 0-0 4; MacBee, Kenya 0-4 3-4 3; Wright, Amy 0-3 2-2 2; May, Bellva 1-4 0-0 2; Tanner, Ebony 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 18-60 15-20 53.
NC STATE
Gartrell, Nikitta 9-10 0-0 20; Whittington, K. 6-12 2-2 14; Zullo, Megan 4-10 0-0 10; Beal, Sharnise 4-9 0-0 9; Dickens, Marquetta 2-11 4-4 8; Key, Ashley 3-4 0-0 6; Brown, Keisha 2-5 0-0 4; Fields, Shayla 1-2 2-2 4; Ellison, Lucy 0-0 1-4 1; Reaves, Sasha 0-2 0-0 0; White, Amber 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-67 9-12 76.
Premier Players........... 33 20 - 53
NC State...................... 43 33 - 76
Halftime: NC State 43-33. 3-point goals--Premier Players 2-10 (Alsdurf, Katie 1-1; Metcalf, Leah 1-2; Sowho, Sherelle 0-1; Murphy, Camille 0-3; MacBee, Kenya 0-2; Wright, Amy 0-1), NC State 5-13 (Gartrell, Nikitta 2-2; Zullo, Megan 2-4; Beal, Sharnise 1-2; Key, Ashley 0-1; Brown, Keisha 0-2; Fields, Shayla 0-1; White, Amber 0-1). Fouled out--Premier Players-None, NC State-None. ReboundsPremier Players 41 (Bell, Nikita 8), NC State 40 (Whittington, K. 11). Assists--Premier Players 3 (Metcalf, Leah 1; May, Bellva 1; MacBee, Kenya 1), NC State 14 (Gartrell, Nikitta 3). Total fouls--Premier Players 15, NC State 18. Technical fouls--Premier Players-None, NC State-None. A-412.
