North Carolina State University Athletics
Senior's Finally Beat Ga. Tech in Season Finale
2/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. – Brittany Strachan made sure she sent her senior teammates off the floor at Reynolds Coliseum for the final time as winners.
The lanky junior’s three-pointer with one minute left sent NC State (17-12, 7-7 ACC) to a crucial 54-46 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech – its first win over a ranked team in six chances this season.
“The opportunity presented itself,” said Strachan, the ACC’s leading three-point artist. “I just let it go and it went in.”
Her only trifecta of the game nudged the lead up to five and it was the dagger that sliced Georgia Tech (22-8, 8-6 ACC) for good.
It’s a good thing she released the shot right in front of the home bench, because her coach wants her to take those kinds of shots.
“I was thinking Brittany [Strachan] better shoot it,” explained head coach Kellie Harper. “I’m confident when she shoots the ball.”
NC State treated its four seniors to a brief ceremony before the game. All four were inserted into the starting five, along with classmate Amber White, a red-shirt junior that has one year remaining after an injury cost her all of last season.
Sharnise Beal and Inga Muciniece joined regulars Lucy Ellison and Nikitta Gartrell in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
The win also marked the quartets first over the Yellow Jackets in four tries. They have now beaten all 11 ACC opponents while at NC State.
And Gartrell, an Atlanta native, was overjoyed to finally beat the Jackets.
“I’m excited,” Gartrell said. “They were ranked and (there) my home team. We hadn’t beaten them in my four years here. It was a great to finally get a win over a really good team.”
And talk about a total team effort. All nine players scored, but no one had more than freshman Marissa Kastanek’s nine. Bonae Holston had eight, while Beal, Strachan and White each chipped in with seven.
Emili Tasler staked the Wolfpack to a 29-20 lead three minutes into the second half with her second straight three-pointer.
Georgia Tech trimmed its deficit to six, 32-26, but Holston made back-to-back shots to cap a quick 6-0 spurt that upped the lead to its largest of the afternoon, 38-26 with 11:39 remaining.
First it was a face up runner with just over 12 to play for Holston. Later, after the media timeout, she pulled up from the baseline.
Beal kept the advantage in double figures with a layup at the 7:30 mark for a 41-30 lead.
Tech’s Deja Foster led a charge back with six points in a 12-3 run that left the game a two-point margin with just under two minutes left.
After Foster’s layup made it 44-42, teammate Brigitte Ardosi (18 points) forced a steal, but gave it right back to the Pack for one of Georgia Tech’s 26 turnovers.
Gartrell then found Strachan in the corner and she calmly drilled the game’s deciding three with exactly one-minute left to play.
NC State made 7-of-10 shots from the line in the final 38 seconds to seal the win.
Muciniece responded with the opening hoop of the game to reaffirm Harper’s decision to start the seniors. Beal added the next one and the Pack was off and running with an early 4-0 lead.
After both teams traded buckets, Kastanek was left open for an easy three and it was 9-2 Pack.
NC State was continually making the Jackets turn the ball over the entire first half. By the eight minute mark Georgia Tech had thrown it away 12 times and the Pack led 15-12.
Near the tail end of the first half the Yellow Jackets turnover total climbed to 18.
Kastanek made it 21-16 after being left open from the identical spot as she connected from earlier.
All those miscues resulted in the lowest first half point total of the year for Georgia Tech. NC State led 21-16 at intermission.
“I’m glad this is a senior night to remember,” said Harper. “I’m excited about the way we played the majority of the game. I’m so happy for this team.”
The Wolfpack held an opponent without a three-pointer for the second time all year. The Jackets went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. Just before Christmas the Pack held Georgetown scoreless from three-point land.
Now its tournament time in Greensboro and the Wolfpack knows it has to bring this same type of effort next week as it did today in knocking off Georgia Tech.
“Going into Thursday we have to bring the same intensity we did today,” Gartrell explained. “We can’t dwell on beating Georgia Tech.”
NC State will be the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament and will take on 11th-seeded Clemson on Thursday at 8 p.m., from the Greensboro Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Select.
The lanky junior’s three-pointer with one minute left sent NC State (17-12, 7-7 ACC) to a crucial 54-46 victory over No. 22 Georgia Tech – its first win over a ranked team in six chances this season.
“The opportunity presented itself,” said Strachan, the ACC’s leading three-point artist. “I just let it go and it went in.”
Her only trifecta of the game nudged the lead up to five and it was the dagger that sliced Georgia Tech (22-8, 8-6 ACC) for good.
It’s a good thing she released the shot right in front of the home bench, because her coach wants her to take those kinds of shots.
“I was thinking Brittany [Strachan] better shoot it,” explained head coach Kellie Harper. “I’m confident when she shoots the ball.”
NC State treated its four seniors to a brief ceremony before the game. All four were inserted into the starting five, along with classmate Amber White, a red-shirt junior that has one year remaining after an injury cost her all of last season.
Sharnise Beal and Inga Muciniece joined regulars Lucy Ellison and Nikitta Gartrell in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
The win also marked the quartets first over the Yellow Jackets in four tries. They have now beaten all 11 ACC opponents while at NC State.
And Gartrell, an Atlanta native, was overjoyed to finally beat the Jackets.
“I’m excited,” Gartrell said. “They were ranked and (there) my home team. We hadn’t beaten them in my four years here. It was a great to finally get a win over a really good team.”
And talk about a total team effort. All nine players scored, but no one had more than freshman Marissa Kastanek’s nine. Bonae Holston had eight, while Beal, Strachan and White each chipped in with seven.
Emili Tasler staked the Wolfpack to a 29-20 lead three minutes into the second half with her second straight three-pointer.
Georgia Tech trimmed its deficit to six, 32-26, but Holston made back-to-back shots to cap a quick 6-0 spurt that upped the lead to its largest of the afternoon, 38-26 with 11:39 remaining.
First it was a face up runner with just over 12 to play for Holston. Later, after the media timeout, she pulled up from the baseline.
Beal kept the advantage in double figures with a layup at the 7:30 mark for a 41-30 lead.
Tech’s Deja Foster led a charge back with six points in a 12-3 run that left the game a two-point margin with just under two minutes left.
After Foster’s layup made it 44-42, teammate Brigitte Ardosi (18 points) forced a steal, but gave it right back to the Pack for one of Georgia Tech’s 26 turnovers.
Gartrell then found Strachan in the corner and she calmly drilled the game’s deciding three with exactly one-minute left to play.
NC State made 7-of-10 shots from the line in the final 38 seconds to seal the win.
Muciniece responded with the opening hoop of the game to reaffirm Harper’s decision to start the seniors. Beal added the next one and the Pack was off and running with an early 4-0 lead.
After both teams traded buckets, Kastanek was left open for an easy three and it was 9-2 Pack.
NC State was continually making the Jackets turn the ball over the entire first half. By the eight minute mark Georgia Tech had thrown it away 12 times and the Pack led 15-12.
Near the tail end of the first half the Yellow Jackets turnover total climbed to 18.
Kastanek made it 21-16 after being left open from the identical spot as she connected from earlier.
All those miscues resulted in the lowest first half point total of the year for Georgia Tech. NC State led 21-16 at intermission.
“I’m glad this is a senior night to remember,” said Harper. “I’m excited about the way we played the majority of the game. I’m so happy for this team.”
The Wolfpack held an opponent without a three-pointer for the second time all year. The Jackets went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. Just before Christmas the Pack held Georgetown scoreless from three-point land.
Now its tournament time in Greensboro and the Wolfpack knows it has to bring this same type of effort next week as it did today in knocking off Georgia Tech.
“Going into Thursday we have to bring the same intensity we did today,” Gartrell explained. “We can’t dwell on beating Georgia Tech.”
NC State will be the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament and will take on 11th-seeded Clemson on Thursday at 8 p.m., from the Greensboro Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Select.
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