North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Women Visit Georgia Tech Sunday
2/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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RV/RV Georgia Tech (16-6, 4-4 ACC)
GAME DAY CENTRAL
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191)
Atlanta, Ga.
Tip-off: 2 p.m.
TV/Webcast: ACCSelect.com
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM (Raleigh), WRMT 1490 AM (Rocky Mount) & WCIE 1450 AM (Fayetteville)
Talent: Patrick Kinas and Robin Pate
XM Radio: XM Channel 192
Web Audio: www.GoPack.com
All-time series record: NC State leads 39-17
Last Meeting: Georgia Tech 67, NC State 63, 1/17/08 in Raleigh, N.C.
Next game: vs. Wake Forest
Thursday, February 12, Raleigh, N.C., 7 p.m. (ACCSelect.com)
Wolfpack Fast Breaks...
NC State is 39-17 all-time vs. Maryland; 16-10 in Atlanta
NC State has lost six games this season by six points or less
NC State leads the ACC with only 15.3 turnovers per game
Fields leads ACC in minutes; Has played 13 full games, Avg. 41.0 min. in ACC
Fields and Gartrell are top scoring backcourt duo in ACC
Bonae Holston is averaging 11.6 points, 8.3 rebounds in ACC games
NC State has held 88 of its last 91 opponents to less than 50% shooting
Wolfpack is one of three ACC schools with 700 all-time wins. (UNC and UVa)
Shayla Fields became 25th Wolfpacker to score 1,000 points vs. Ole Miss
NC State has not lost back-to-back non-conference home games since 2002
Team has won 41 of the last 44 non-conference home games
ESPN's Charlie Creme had NC State in his first Bracketology projection
NC State was selected 8th in the preseason ACC standings
Pink Is Our Favorite Color
NC State is expected to play the remainder of the season with its "pink" jerseys. Against Boston College the Pack unvieled its latest Nike uniform, a white jersey with pink trim down the sides and a red NC State logo across the chest. A heart with the word Yow has also been added to all Wolfpack uniforms for the remainder of the year. The Wolfpack may also wear its all pink jersey that they fashioned last season on the road.
Date Changes For Both Wake Forest Games
Both games with Wake Forest have had date changes stemming from the missed game on Jan. 26 when the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons chose not to play that evening, two days removed from Coach Yow's passing. The Pack will now host Wake on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. - game was supposed to be played a week later on Feb. 19. The two teams will then play five days later in Winston-Salem on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. at Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum.
Maryland Shoots Down Wolfpack 87-66
The 13th-ranked Terrapins shot 70 percent in the first half and cruised past NC State 87-66 Thursday night. Shayla Fields notched her ninth 20-point game of the season with 24 for the Wolfpack and Sharnice Beal had 19.
It had been 35 games since an opponent shot 50.0 percent against the Pack when Virginia did so Feb. 1, 2008. Maryland's 56.7 percent shooting clip was the best for a Pack opponent since Miami went for 58-percent on Feb. 14, 2005, however, NC State still won 71-68 over the Hurricanes.
First ACC Win Comes at Virginia Tech
Shayla Fields scored 15 of her 19 points after halftime to fuel an NC State come-from-behind 57-46 win at Virginia Tech on Feb. 1 from Cassell Coliseum. The victory improves NC State to 10-0 all-time against Virginia Tech.
In gaining its first league win of the season, the Wolfpack shot 51.9 percent from the field after halftime. A 24-10 run broke open a 28-all score at the 15:41 mark of the second.
Sharnise Beal added 14 points for the Pack. Nikki Davis led Virginia Tech with 14. A Nikitta Gartrell layup gave the Pack a 30-28 lead at the 14:21 mark of second half the clubs first lead since it was 11-10 with 8:40 left in the opening stanza. The lead grew to 42-34 after a shot clock-beating three-pointer from 25 feet by Fields with 8:16 left. The Hokies never got closer than six points.
Wolfpack Treated To Special Performance
Musician Damien Horne, who has teamed up with the ACC for a theme song for women’s hoops called “She Can Play,” performed for the entire Wolfpack women's team after its win over the Hokies.
Before boarding the bus and about the same time Jennifer Hudson was singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Horne pulled the team off the bus to give them a private performance of the title track of his latest album “Somebody’s Hero.”
He told the team that he dedicated the song to Coach Yow and it was really moving as he bellowed out an acoustic version of the song in the hallway of the coliseum. Many players exchanged hugs with the guitar player for a copy of his new album.
He is expected to be at our game against North Carolina on Feb. 23 so keep up-to-date with GoPack.com on information on a performance by Damien Horne on our campus.
The Show Goes On...
NC State played its first game since the passing of its coach Kay Yow on Jan. 29 falling 62-51 to Boston College in Raleigh. The Wolfpack got behind 50-19 early in the second half, but was able to muster up a 24-4 run and hold the Eagles scoreless for a seven minute stretch that cut the lead down to single digits in the final minute.
A mostly pink-cladded crowd of over 4,000 cheered on its Wolfpack during an emotional evening at Kay Yow Court. Having only practiced the two days leading up to the game, the Pack showed a bit of rust the first 25 minutes. Not to mention coming back just days removed from the passing of its Hall of Fame coach, it was a recipe for a slow start. But once the shots starting falling, the crowd roared behind every play as NC State donned its latest "pink" jersey with Yow scripted across each player's back.
It may not have been the outcome the Wolfpack was looking for, but it was sure nice to get back to some sense of normalcy - if only for a few hours that night.
Shayla Fields led the way with 17 points, while Nikitta Gartrell recorded her second career-double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Miami's Early Lead, FT's Hold Off Late Rally By NC State
Miami jumped out to a 17-4 lead and the league's worst free throw shooting team shot 90 percent (26-29) for the game in a 72-60 win over NC State on Jan 22.
Leading scorer Shayla Fields was limited to just one point in the first half and seven for the entire game. Freshman Bonae Holston continued her stellar play of late with a third double-double in four games with a game highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds.
NC State fought and clawed to stay in the game during the second stanza. Brittany Strachan hit a big shot from beyond the arc to cut the lead under double digits for the first time since the 10:46 mark of the first half. On the next possession a put back from Holston got NC State within six, 53-47, with 7:06 to play.
After the under eight minute media timeout, Holston went to work again drawing a foul and converting both from the stripe to get it down to four, 53-49 and it was any one’s game with just over six minutes left.
But the Hurricanes did the job down the stretch at the line, converting six in a row, and another bucket and the lead stretched back to 61-51.
Holston Notches 3 ACC Double-Doubles
Freshman Bonae Holston has been a key figure for the Wolfpack in ACC play, averaging 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
At Miami, Holston scored a season-high 23 and hauled in 12 rebounds. She shot 9-of-14 from the field and was dominate down in the low block all game long in 31 minutes of playing time.
Against No. 2 UNC she recorded 19 points and 15 rebounds for her first career double-double - marking the first by a freshman at NC State since Khadijah Whittington had 16 points and 13 rebounds against FSU on Feb. 17, 2005.
It was also the most points by a freshman in an ACC debut since Liz Bailey struck for 20 points off the bench in a 61-47 win over Wake Forest on Dec. 30, 2001.
Holston added 13 points and 10 boards against Florida State on Jan. 15.
Pack Takes Second Top-Five Team To OT in Eight Day Span
Despite a fourth straight loss, this time to No. 4 Duke, 61-58, on Jan. 19, it marked the second time in eight days that NC State has taken a top-five ranked team into overtime. The Pack lost 75-66 to No. 2 North Carolina on Jan. 11 in Chapel Hill.
Throw in a five-point, 64-59, loss to Florida State on Jan. 15, who at the time was knocking on the door of the top-25 and has since climbed into the national rankings, the Wolfpack has played three of the ACC's elite teams to the wire.
Pushing No. 2 UNC Into Overtime
The Wolfpack displayed a heroic effort in a 75-66 overtime loss at No. 2-ranked North Carolina on January 11 in the first game since Coach Yow announced she was stepping down for the remainder of the season. NC State led for a majority of the final 14 minutes of the second half and was up five with five minutes to play in regulation. Later a jumper by Sharnise Beal tied it up 59-all with 51 seconds left, sending the game into an extra session. In OT, UNC scored the first 10 points and went on to victory.
3-Pronged Perimeter Scoring Punch
Senior Shayla Fields and juniors Nikitta Gartrell and Sharnise Beal have become a formidable scoring trio from the perimeter this season - all three are averaging double figures in scoring.
Fields leads the Pack and is second in the ACC at 17.9 points per game, while Beal is averaging 11.6 ppg and Gartrell is chipping in 10.8 ppg.
Bench Providing Big Lift For NC State
The Wolfpack bench that is basically made up of Bonae Holston, Brittany Strachan and Tia Bell, are contributing 18.9 points per game in ACC contests. That figure is well above the 13.6 point per game average in non-conference games this season.
Staff Changes
When Coach Yow stepped down for the remainder of the season, Stephanie Glance was named interim head coach, the same role she took over in 2006-07, posting a 10-6 record while Yow missed 16 games.
Kristen Gillespie has been elevated to an assistant coach after serving as an assistant to head coach Kay Yow for the last two seasons. Gillespie played at NC State from 1996-99 and was the point guard on the 1998 Final Four team.
Valuing the Basketball
NC State has done a nice job of limiting turnovers so far this season, ranking first in the ACC with just 15.3 turnovers per game. That figure ranks 34th nationally.
Fields Top Scorer in a Decade
Senior Shayla Fields 17.9 scoring average is the highest for the Wolfpack since Summer Erb averaged 21.5 ppg in 1998-99.
Ironwomen Lead ACC in Minutes Played
Shayla Fields and Nikitta Gartrell rank first and second in minutes played this season in the ACC. Fields leads at 38.3 minutes per game as she has played 13 full games, while Gartrell is averagin 35.5 minutes and has gone the distance four times so far. See the next note - this is certainly nothing new for Fields.
Shayla Fields Forever
After leading the ACC in minutes played last season, senior Shayla Fields has picked up where she left off last season - leading the conference at 38.3 minutes per game. She has played all but 46 minutes so far in 22 games this season and has had played 367 of the last 370 minutes over the last eight games. She had a stretch of 212 straight minutes snapped against Ole Miss on Dec. 14.
Here is a breakdown of what she did last year.
Led the ACC with 36.00 minutes per game.
Played 96.8 percent (542 of 560) of the total minutes in ACC contests
Played stretches of 245 and 202 straight minutes
Played in 14 full contests
NC State against Ranked Opponents
The Wolfpack is now 0-4 against ranked teams this season - extending its losing streak to nin games against ranked teams since beating No. 19 Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2007.
NC State is 107-185 all-time against opponents ranked by the AP's national top 25. The Wolfpack is 54-62 at home against ranked foes, 33-77 on the road and 20-47 on neutral courts.
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.
Fields Joins 1,000-Point Club
Shayla Fields became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points against Ole Miss (12/14/08) with 17 points. Not bad considering she only scored three points during her freshman season. She is the ACC's second leading scorer at 17.9 points per game and that ranks 41st in the NCAA.
