North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Hold On For Win At Virginia Tech
2/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Shayla Fields drilled consecutive 3-pointers late in the second half to propel NC State to a come-from-behind 68-63 victory over Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.
Now winners of seven of its last eight games, NC State (20-8, 9-4 ACC) received double-doubles from junior Khadijah Whittington and senior Gillian Goring for the second time this year in the same game, while Ashley Key pumped in 11 points for the Pack. Whittington provided 17 points and 10 boards for her ninth double-double of the year, while Goring came up with 17 points and 13 caroms for her fifth double-double of the season.
Virginia Tech (16-13, 5-8 ACC) dropped its fourth straight outing. Kirby Copeland led the Hokies with 17 points, while Brittany Cook added 14 points and seven boards.
With the game tied 49-all, Whittington came up with a huge steal on the defensive end and converted that into a layup on the other side of the court for the Packs’ first lead since it was 20-18 with six minutes to go in the first half.
Later it was tied for the 10th and final time, 53-53, when Fields buried a three-pointer with under three minutes to go. After two Hokie free throws, Fields knocked down another from beyond the arc and momentum was surely in the favor of NC State with 2:07 left, up 59-55.
“I was so pleased for her (Shayla Fields) that she didn’t hesitate to take the shot,” explained NC State head coach Kay Yow. “She shot it with confidence.”
Tech came up with a pair of banked in 3-pointers in the final 38 seconds to keep it a one-possession game, but two free throws by Key gave the Wolfpack its 20th win of the season.
“We new it would be tough coming in here,” said Yow. “It was just about the most even game you could possibly get. We were fortunate to make a run at the right time. It lifted us and got us over the hump and got us a very hard earned victory.”
Neither team was able to force its will on the opposition in the opening half, which led to a slim 29-25 Hokie lead at the break. The largest margin the entire half was five points by Virginia Tech and that came about because of three late turnovers by the Wolfpack.
Both teams struggled on offense. Each team pieced together 5-0 runs, but that was about the extent of any sustained spurts by either club. Pounding the paint on both ends of the court, Tech held a slim 14-12 advantage inside the paint.
“It was one of our gutsiest performances after having to play North Carolina on Friday night, get a victory there, have a celebration, and then at 9:30 yesterday morning we had to head up here, go through our game plan, practice, and then play at noon today,” added Yow, who won her 703rd career game.
Whittington, who hails from nearby Roanoke, Va., was excited to be back close to home. “To see all my friends and family here was motivation. It was great; they were calling my name when I first walked out. If I could, I would take them all back to Raleigh with me.”
The Pack concludes its regular season next Saturday afternoon at Miami. Tip-off is at 3 pm in Coral Gables, Fla.
