North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Hoops Back To Action Against FAU
11/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NC State vs. Florida Atlantic
Tuesday, Nov. 17
Reynolds Coliseum
7 p.m.
All-time series record: NC State leads 2-0
Last Meeting: W, 83-76, 1/2/94 in Boca Raton, Fla.
Streaks: NC State and FAU lost its last game
TV/Webcast: None
XM Radio: None
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM (Raleigh) Patrick Kinas and Demar Bonnemere
Next game: Home vs. Davidson - Nov. 20, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Kellie Harper (Tennessee, '99)
Records (at NC State / overall) 1-1 (First year) / 98-66 (Sixth year)
Live Video (Pack Pass) // Live Audio // Live Stats
Wolfpack Fastbreaks...
• Coach Kellie Harper is two wins shy of 100 for her career
• Bonae Holston and Amber White were named to the Wolfpack Invitational all-tournament team
• NC State has not lost back-to-back non-conference home games since 2002
• Holston, Gartrell and White are all averaging double figures through two games
• Marissa Kastanek has made the opening bucket in all three games so far this season (including exh.)
• Kastanek is the first true freshman to start a season opener since Megan Zullo in 2006
• NC State was selected ninth in the preseason ACC standings
• Kellie Harper was hired in April as just the third head coach in program history
• Harper was inducted into the Tennessee Lady Vols Hall of Fame on Sept. 26
• 11 of the 12 players on the roster return from last season
• Seniors Nikitta Gartrell and Sharnise Beal both averaged double figures in their junior seasons
• NC State has held 97 of its last 101 opponents to less than 50% shooting
• Team has won 42 of the last 46 non-conference home games
Wolfpack Injury Report
None
NC State Splits Two Games To Open The Season
NC State got its season off on the right foot with an 87-71 defeat of Florida International on Friday night. Sophomore Bonae Holston led four double digit scorers with 20 points, while Amber White had a career-high 17 points and Nikitta Gartrell added 11 and Marissa Kastanek had 11 in her college debut.
On Saturday, the Pack fell 52-47 to Vermont in the title game of the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational. Nikitta Gartrell led the Pack with 10 points.
Pair of Wolfpackers named to all-tournament team
Bonae Holston and Amber White were named to the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational all-tournament team for their efforts over the weekend. Holston averaged 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds, while White contributed 11.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.
20-point scorers against the Pack
NC State allowed three players to score at least 20 points three times in the first two games of the season. That only happened twice all of the 2008-09 season against the Pack in 30 games.
Harper Two Wins From 100
Head coach Kellie Harper is two wins shy of career victory No. 100 after compiling a 97-65 record in five seasons at Western Carolina.
Gartrell Nearing 1,000 Career Points
Senior guard Nikitta Gartrell is 193 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She would become the 26th player to join the 1,000-point club at NC State.
Tia Bell Now In Top-10 For Blocks
Junior Tia Bell's three blocks so far this season has moved to into a tie for 10th place in school history for career blocked shots.
NC State Receives Votes in Coaches' Poll
NC State is receiving votes in the USA Today ESPN Top-25 preseason women's basketball coaches' poll.
The Wolfpack garnered 11 total votes from the panel of 31 Division I head coaches. Under the direction of first-year head coach Kellie Harper the Wolfpack will look to bounce back from a 13-17 record that wound up being just the fifth losing season in program history that dates back to 1974.
All in the Family
Kellie and Jon Harper are among a small sample of just eight husband and wife combos that are currently coaching on the same staff in Division I women's basketball.
Hartford: Jen Rizzotti (head coach) and Bill Sullivan (assistant)
Idaho: Gavin Petersen (associate head coach) Karen Petersen (assistant)
Long Beach State: Jody Wynn (head coach) and Derek Wynn (assistant)
NC State: Kellie Harper (head coach) and Jon Harper (assistant)
Texas Tech: Kristy Curry (head coach) and husband Kelly (assistant)
Tulsa: Charlene Thomas-Swinson (head coach) and Aaron Swinson (assistant)
Washington State: June Daugherty (head coach) and Mike Daugherty (associate)
Wright State: Bridgett Williams (head coach) and Kevin Williams (assistant)
Home Court Advantage at Reynolds
The Wolfpack has never had a losing mark at home in 35 seasons of basketball. NC State owns a staggering 356-95 (.789) all-time record in Reynolds.
Team Effort Sends Wolfpack To Exhibition Win
A balanced attack by the NC State women's basketball team led to an 87-44 victory over North Greenville last Monday night in an exhibition game at Reynolds Coliseum.
10 players found the scoring column for the Wolfpack, led by sophomore Bonae Holston's 19 points and 11 rebounds, in head coach Kellie Harper's first glimpse at her first team at NC State.
NC State scored the first 11 points of the game and the visiting Crusaders never got back within six points the rest of the way.
Tia Bell added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Amber White, Lucy Ellison and Brittany Strachan each had 10 points as five players scored in double figures.
Harper Inducted Into Lady Vols Hall of Fame
Kellie Harper was among the ninth group of inductees into the Lady Volunteer Hall of Fame on Friday, October 2 in Knoxville, Tenn. Athletes are eligible for inclusion 10 years after they have graduated from the University
Harper was the point guard on the Lady Vol basketball team from 1995-99. Behind her direction as the Lady Vol quarterback, she helped to lead her team to an unprecedented three consecutive NCAA titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The 1997-98 team finished the season with a perfect record with 39 wins and no losses. Her spectacular play earned her nods to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team in 1997 and 1998.
She holds the record of the most assists in the NCAA title game with 11, set in 1997; and in the Final Four with 20. To go along with those titles she helped to tack on two SEC regular season Championships, 1998 and 1999 and three SEC Tournament Championships, 1996, 1998, and 1999. She holds the SEC Tournament record for the most minutes played in a game with 43 minutes in the semifinal, overtime, game against LSU in 1997.
Stacked With Upperclassmen
For the first time in three seasons, NC State boasts more than one senior on its roster. This year the Wolfpack have four seniors in Sharnise Beal, Lucy Ellison, Nikitta Gartrell and Inga Muciniece. Toss in red-shirt junior Amber White and juniors Tia Bell and Brittany Strachan and this team brings a wealth of experience to the court for the 2009-10 campaign.
Amber White Returns From Achilles Injury
Red-shirt guard Amber White is back in action this season after missing all of last year after suffering an Achilles injury in the summer of 2008. She is expected to play a significant role in the backcourt this season.
Durham Is Back For Second Walk-on Season
Sophomore guard Kim Durham is back for her second season with the Wolfpack women after walking on to the team after she impressed in an open tryout last October.
New Role For Holston in Sophomore Season
After coming off the bench in all but four games last season, Bonae Holston is expected to be a fixture in the starting lineup for the Wolfpack this seaon. Holston enjoyed great success as the first reserve of the bench in 2008-09 and was named the ACC's Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
She was even better in ACC play by averaging 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per outing. Both figures led all freshmen in the league.
Ain't Nothing But a "Block" Party
NC State junior forward Tia Bell tied a school-record with eight blocks in the 60-54 win over No. 17 Virginia on Feb. 15, 2009.
The native of Washington, D.C., tied Genia Beasley's record that was set Jan. 29, 1979 against North Carolina.
Bell placed fourth in the ACC and 37th nationally last season with 2.0 blocks per game.
Double-Digit Scoring
Seniors Nikitta Gartrell and Sharnise Beal both averaged double figures in scoring last season for NC State. Beal averaged 11.5 ppg and Gartrell chipped in 10.9 ppg.
Amber White Earns Academic Award
Amber White was named a winner of the Academic Momentum Award by the Scholar-Baller® Program, in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS).
After a slow start to her academic career she was named to the ACC All-Academic team last season with a GPA over 3.00.
Each honoree will receive a recognition certificate and authentic Scholar-Baller® patch. In addition, the winners of each region will receive a Thinkman™ and Thinkwoman™ Trophy for their academic performances.
NC State Notches 700th Victory
NC State earned win No. 700 in program history with a 76-38 win over Jacksonville State on Dec. 29.
Only North Carolina and Virginia have more wins than the Pack among schools in the ACC and is one of only 24 teams that have hit the 700 win milestone.
Wolfpack women on YouTube
Video coordinator Jason Rasnake has set up a destination for fans to check out recaps of the Wolfpack women's games on the internet. Rasnake puts together audio and video clips of game highlights and post-game interviews with Coach Kellie Harper and selected players.
The web address is - www.youtube.com/wolfpackwomen.
Keeping up with the Pack
In addition to YouTube, fans can also keep track of the Wolfpack women at the following websites.
www.GoPack.com/womensbasketball
www.twitter.com/PackWomensBball
www.facebook.com/wolfpack women basketball
Allowing 50 points or less...
NC State is 135-1 all-time when allowing 50 points or less. The only loss was a 50-47 setback to Oregon (11/19/00). The Pack is 126-0 when allowing less then 50 points.
Hoops 4 Hope ~ February 14, 2010
NC State is proud to host the fifth annual "Hoops 4 Hope" game on February 14, 2009. For the third-straight season this event will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
This season the Pack will host Miami and the game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m., start.
The event is a breast cancer awareness event, in addition to a fund raising opportunity for the foundation. Hoops 4 Hope is a basketball game centered around hope – hope for early detection, hope for increased survival and hope for a cure.
NC State Among the Best of the Best
NC State enters the season with the 26th most victories among Division I women's basketball programs. The Pack is also No. 26 all-time in winning percentage among schools with more than 350 victories.
