North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
9-7, 1-1ACC
Wake Forest
9-8, 0-1ACC
White Shines Again In Win Over Wake
1/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. --- Amber White's 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting pushed NC State past Wake Forest 80-59 Monday night at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Pack (9-7, 1-1 ACC) led by 11 or more for the entire second half to bounce back to .500 in conference play.
Freshman Kody Burke added a season-best 15 points from the bench and Bonae Holston scored 14 on 6-of-9 shooting to join White in double figures.
Devin Griffin led the Pack on the boards, collecting seven, including four on the offensive glass. Griffin added eight points as well in 25 minutes of action.
"I thought we were poised on the offensive end, and thought that was one of our best defensive performances as of late," said NC State head coach Kellie Harper. "I thought Wake Forest was a tough matchup for us, so I'm very proud at how we came out today."
NC State dominated Wake Forest (9-8, 0-1 ACC) in the paint, outscoring the Deacons 36-20, and claiming a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The Wolfpack also held a 23-6 scoring advantage on the fast break and a 12-1 edge on second-chance points.
On the defensive end, NC State forced Wake Forest to turn the ball over 19 times on the evening, converting those turnovers into 20 points.
The win helps the Pack avoid its third 0-2 start in the last four years after losing the conference-opener to Clemson, 76-74.
"We were able to process that loss, work on some things, and get ready for Wake Forest," said Harper. "The kids handled that well. They look at tough losses very constructively."
Amber White scored six of the Pack's first 10 points, connecting on 3-of-4 from the field in the early-goings.
"I didn't like my performance in our last game against Clemson," said White. "I didn't shoot particularly well. Getting my confidence back, and finding a consistent shot were keys tonight."
NC State built a 17-10 lead by the 10-minute mark, thanks in part to six points from Burke.
"I took the loss to Clemson pretty hard," said Burke. "I didn't think I played well personally. I took Coach's advice to heart and came out with good spirit and tried to help us get a win."
The Pack grabbed a double-digit lead with just over four minutes remaining in the first half, as Breezy Williams made a pair of free throws to push the score to 28-17.
Wake Forest's lone bright spot of the first half was Lakevia Boykin, whose 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting from three-point range led the Demon Deacons.
With 1:00 remaining in the first half, Boykin made her fourth three-pointer to cut the Wolfpack lead down to eight. Brittany Strachan answered with a three of her own on the next possession, putting the Pack up by double figures for the remainder of the game.
NC State carried a 36-25 lead into the halftime break after forcing 11 turnovers, holding Wake Forest to 29% (8-of-27) shooting, and going 50% (13-of-26) from the field as a team.
The Pack improved to 7-0 when holding its opponents under 70 points, and White notched her fourth 20-point game of the season, tying Holston for the team lead.
The Wolfpack visits another Tobacco Road rival this Friday at North Carolina at 7 p.m.
