North Carolina State University Athletics
A Hoops For Hope Success at Reynolds
1/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) --North Carolina State senior Gillian Goring was more thrilled than normal to win Sunday.
The Wolfpack's 64-46 win against Boston College was about more than another women's basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It capped N.C. State's "Hoops For Hope," a weekend honoring Wolfpack coach Kay Yow and her second fight in 20 years against breast cancer.
Sunday's win was Yow's 698th overall and her second since returning to duty after missing 16 games to undergo treatments.
"When I think about coach Yow and how she's been fighting, all my nagging little injuries and complaints seem like nothing compared to her problems," Goring said.
Goring, who missed N.C. State's first six games as she recovered from offseason back surgery, had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was her career high for points and matched her career high on the boards.
Everyone on the court was encouraged to "Think Pink" by the N.C. State administration, symbolizing support for all NCAA coaches battling cancer.
Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and new Wolfpack football coach Tom O'Brien sat courtside, wearing pink wristbands. Every N.C. State and Boston College player wore pink shoelaces. Every coach wore a pink top or jacket. Officials used pink whistles.
N.C. State donated $43,820 in proceeds at halftime to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for cancer research. Yow signed the ceremonial check.
"This game was very emotional for me, with everything it means," Yow said. "'Hoops For Hope' is exactly that. It's all about hope." Boston College knew N.C. State's two days of Wolfpack player reunions, an alumni game, fundraising and social events would make for a different game.
"We knew it was going to be emotional," Boston College coach Cathy Inglese said. "We told the team, 'This could be a two-edged sword. Let's get out there and use all this atmosphere and play our best.' But we didn't."
Boston College missed its first six shots and had 10 turnovers within the game's opening 13 minutes. Goring scored six of N.C. State's first eight points to pace the Wolfpack to a 34-23 halftime lead. Boston's College's Kathrin Ress, Kindyll Dorsey and Mickel Picco each had three fouls by halftime, mostly from trying to stop the 6-foot-7 Goring in the paint.
"We were forced to try all sorts of combinations of players," Inglese said. "We've never had to try a configuration in practice with two starting posts (Ress and Dorsey) on the bench."
Goring scored 14 points in the first half, hitting six of her first 11 shots from the field. Ashley Key added 11 points and four assists for the Wolfpack (15-7, 4-3 ACC).
"I'm not downplaying what this game means as an ACC game," Yow said. "When I see us trying hard and playing well like that, it really gives me a lift."
Ress committed her fourth foul just 1:08 into the second half and played just 24 minutes. She ended up with 17 points to lead the Eagles (11-10, 1-6).
N.C. State took its biggest lead, 54-29, after Goring hit a field goal with 8:44 to play. Boston College went on a 12-2 run while Goring was out of the game, but the Eagles never got closer than 54-41 in the final 8:32.
