North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Falls 70-60 to Duke in ACC Title Game
3/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BY TIM PEELER
GREENSBORO, N.C. – First-year NC State women's basketball coach Kellie Harper knew her team had to overcome two kinds of fatigue Sunday afternoon in the 2010 ACC Women's Basketball Championship game at the Greensboro Coliseum: physical and mental.
She was fully convinced that her team, playing in its fourth game in four days, spent every ounce of their physical energy against Duke's eighth-ranked Blue Devils in the title game.
But she also concedes that it was mental fatigue – in the form of 23 turnovers and 34 missed shots – that was the primary reason that the Blue Devils managed a 70-60 victory. It was the first ACC title for third-year Duke coach Joanne McCallie, after taking her team to the title game for the third year in a row, and the Blue Devils' first league championship since 2004.
"I was really impressed with our physical resiliency, but I thought we had some mental breakdowns," Harper said after the game. "On the fourth day of a tournament, you are going to be tired, both mentally and physically. I think the mental part of it got us today.
"It's a grind. As an example, we gave up at least three wide-open 3-pointers because we weren't matched up well defensively. That's a complete mental breakdown. Had we been a little sharper, who knows what would have happened?"
The Wolfpack (20-13) jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, holding Duke to just one field goal in the game's first five minutes.
But the Devils turned up their pressure, using full-court and half-court pressure, to create six quick turnovers and score 15 unanswered points. The Wolfpack never really recovered from that run, though it trailed by only five points at the half, 32-27.
Both teams were sloppy with the ball throughout the game, combining to commit 43 turnovers, but Duke was able to use its considerable height advantage to snag a 46-32 rebounding advantage. The difference in offensive rebounds, 19-9 in Duke's favor, was a critical factor.
"I thought when they really changed their defenses to utilize their length, that affected our offense," Harper said. "Sometimes our team is a little frustrating on the offensive end. We are still learning there. That could be an area where we get better over the next couple of weeks."
The Wolfpack, for the fourth consecutive day, was led by senior Nikitta Gartrell, who had 19 points and seven rebounds. She earned first-team all-tournament honors after recording 66 points and 30 rebounds, easily the most of any player in the tournament.
"We can't hang our heads," Gartrell said. "We wanted to win, but, I mean, now we have a whole other season ahead of us, the NCAA Tournament. Now we just have to get refocused and hopefully it will turn out great."
"It was a real good weekend for us. A lot of people didn't expect us to be here, to be in a position to get into the NCAAs."
A bubble team entering the tournament, the Wolfpack has certainly improved its resume over the last three weeks, having won seven of its last nine games. And Sunday's championship was hardly similar to the Wolfpack's worst loss of the season, a 70-39 setback against the Blue Devils on Feb. 11.
But the team will have to wait until next Monday to find out where and when it will play next, when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee announces the pairings for the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
"I am extremely proud of our team for so many reasons," Harper said afterwards. "For improving, for believing, for working hard in practice, for playing together. I really wanted this for them. I wanted them to be on a big stage, and today they were.
"In that lockerroom, I was proud of them for wanting more. They are hurt because they did not win this game. And I am so proud of that."
Sophomore Bonae Holston, who had 14 points and six rebounds in the title game, joined Gartrell on the first-team, while freshman Marissa Kastanek was named to the second team. Duke's Jasmine Thomas was named the tournament's most valuable player.
After Duke grabbed the lead, it never let go, heading to the halftime lockerroom with a 32-27 advantage.
In the opening moments of the second half, Duke's Thomas and Karima Christmas hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Joy Cheek hit a pair of free throws, pushing the Blue Devil lead to 13 points right out of the gates.
Though the game was ragged, the Wolfpack never let it get out of hand. When junior Brittany Strachan hit back-to-back 3-pointers with just under four minutes to play, it cut Duke's lead to 65-56 with 2:54 to play.
But Duke finished the game strong, preventing a Wolfpack comeback similar to the one it had in Saturday's semifinal victory over Boston College.
In the end, however, that won't matter when the pairings are announced next week and the Wolfpack earns its first bid since 2007.
"I think our kids have proved over the last few weeks that we are an NCAA Tournament team," Harper said. "Right now, I don't think I have to make an argument for these girls. I think they have made it for me."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
