North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Hoops Wins Wolfpack Invitational
11/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. Tournament MVP Shayla Fields scored a career-best 33 points to lead host NC State to a 62-55 victory over Charlotte in the title game of the Wolfpack Invitational played Sunday afternoon at Kay Yow Court at Reynolds Coliseum.
The senior from Salisbury, N.C., took over in the second half by scoring 20 of the Wolfpack’s 30 points after halftime, including 10 of the final 15 over the last 5:34 of the game.
“Our backcourt dominated this game,” said Hall of fame head coach Kay Yow. “I feel really good about this win. We had to win this game with our backcourt, particularly on the offensive end.”
Fields’ backcourt mate Nikitta Gartrell tossed in 17 points of her own and was selected to the All-Tournament team by averaging 17.5 points in the two games this weekend. All together, the duo accounted for 50 of the Pack’s 62 points today.
NC State (2-0) built up a nine-point lead midway through the second half, 48-39, as its defense held Charlotte scoreless for just under three minutes. Though that isn’t a long time in basketball terms, Gartrell and Fields were efficient during that spurt by converting three straight shots to increase their clubs lead.
But as soon as things looked bleak for the 49ers, coach Karen Aston employed what Coach Yow described as a “run and jump” defense, which according to Coach Yow was made popular by the University of Texas and something she hadn’t seen in over 10 years.
Aston was as assistant coach at Texas from 1998-2006 under legendary coach Jody Condradt.
With the trap in place, Charlotte picked up its pressure from nearly baseline-to-baseline, shortening the Pack’s time on the shot clock. This resulted in the red and white missing seven straight shots, which allowed Charlotte to score 11 straight points to take a 50-48 lead with 8:04 to go.
The game was later tied 50-all when Brittany Strachan converted a huge three-pointer from the wing at the 5:34 mark and the Pack never trailed again. Fields canned another three-pointer and the team went 6-of-8 from the line to ice the victory.
“I thought we managed the last three minutes very well,” added Yow. “Once we got the lead back we only fouled once and that allowed us to let the clock run out (on the 49ers).”
Fields’ 33 points tops her 31 she scored against Florida in the WNIT last March. It’s also the most points by a Wolfpacker since Summer Erb scored 34 points against Mississippi State on March 13, 1999.
Erin Floyd led Charlotte (1-1) with 13 points, while Danielle Burgin and Ashley Sprigss had 12 and 10 points respectively.
NC State took its largest lead of the first half, 21-13, on Fields’ second three-ball of the game at the 8:54 mark.
The 49ers dug in and answered back with nine points, including a three-pointer at the 5:52 mark by Ray to take the lead back, 22-21.
From that point the lead was never greater than two points for either club the rest of the opening stanza, which, in all, featured five ties and eight lead changes.
Charlotte opened a brief 7-3 lead in a sluggish start to the game. The 6-5 Burgin gave the visitors a five-point cushion with her second bucket in the opening minutes, but a three-pointer by Fields and a jumper by Gartrell put the Pack back on top for what foreshadowed a tightly contested first 20 minutes of basketball.
Fields and Gartrell had 13 and 10 points respectively by the intermission.
NC State is back to action Tuesday evening against Elon at 7 pm from Reynolds Coliseum.
Wolfpack Invitational All-Tournament Team
Shayla Fields, NC State*
Nikitta Gartrell, NC State
Traci Ray, Charlotte
Danielle Burgin, Charlotte
Traci Edwards, Milwaukee
Aarika, Hughes, USC
The senior from Salisbury, N.C., took over in the second half by scoring 20 of the Wolfpack’s 30 points after halftime, including 10 of the final 15 over the last 5:34 of the game.
“Our backcourt dominated this game,” said Hall of fame head coach Kay Yow. “I feel really good about this win. We had to win this game with our backcourt, particularly on the offensive end.”
Fields’ backcourt mate Nikitta Gartrell tossed in 17 points of her own and was selected to the All-Tournament team by averaging 17.5 points in the two games this weekend. All together, the duo accounted for 50 of the Pack’s 62 points today.
NC State (2-0) built up a nine-point lead midway through the second half, 48-39, as its defense held Charlotte scoreless for just under three minutes. Though that isn’t a long time in basketball terms, Gartrell and Fields were efficient during that spurt by converting three straight shots to increase their clubs lead.
But as soon as things looked bleak for the 49ers, coach Karen Aston employed what Coach Yow described as a “run and jump” defense, which according to Coach Yow was made popular by the University of Texas and something she hadn’t seen in over 10 years.
Aston was as assistant coach at Texas from 1998-2006 under legendary coach Jody Condradt.
With the trap in place, Charlotte picked up its pressure from nearly baseline-to-baseline, shortening the Pack’s time on the shot clock. This resulted in the red and white missing seven straight shots, which allowed Charlotte to score 11 straight points to take a 50-48 lead with 8:04 to go.
The game was later tied 50-all when Brittany Strachan converted a huge three-pointer from the wing at the 5:34 mark and the Pack never trailed again. Fields canned another three-pointer and the team went 6-of-8 from the line to ice the victory.
“I thought we managed the last three minutes very well,” added Yow. “Once we got the lead back we only fouled once and that allowed us to let the clock run out (on the 49ers).”
Fields’ 33 points tops her 31 she scored against Florida in the WNIT last March. It’s also the most points by a Wolfpacker since Summer Erb scored 34 points against Mississippi State on March 13, 1999.
Erin Floyd led Charlotte (1-1) with 13 points, while Danielle Burgin and Ashley Sprigss had 12 and 10 points respectively.
NC State took its largest lead of the first half, 21-13, on Fields’ second three-ball of the game at the 8:54 mark.
The 49ers dug in and answered back with nine points, including a three-pointer at the 5:52 mark by Ray to take the lead back, 22-21.
From that point the lead was never greater than two points for either club the rest of the opening stanza, which, in all, featured five ties and eight lead changes.
Charlotte opened a brief 7-3 lead in a sluggish start to the game. The 6-5 Burgin gave the visitors a five-point cushion with her second bucket in the opening minutes, but a three-pointer by Fields and a jumper by Gartrell put the Pack back on top for what foreshadowed a tightly contested first 20 minutes of basketball.
Fields and Gartrell had 13 and 10 points respectively by the intermission.
NC State is back to action Tuesday evening against Elon at 7 pm from Reynolds Coliseum.
Wolfpack Invitational All-Tournament Team
Shayla Fields, NC State*
Nikitta Gartrell, NC State
Traci Ray, Charlotte
Danielle Burgin, Charlotte
Traci Edwards, Milwaukee
Aarika, Hughes, USC
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