Jan. 25, 2004
Box Score
RALEIGH, N.C. -
NC State women's basketball picked up its second-straight Atlantic Coast Conference victory with a 61-45 win over visiting Maryland on Sunday, Jan. 25. The Wolfpack improved to 10-10 overall and 2-5 in the ACC, while the Terrapins dropped to 12-7 and 4-4 in the ACC. NC State's Alvine Mendeng led a trio of double figure scorers with her 14 points and 11 rebounds. Delvona Oliver, who recorded a game-high 17 points, led Maryland.
"We knew we had to shoot the ball and rebound better than we did at Maryland earlier this season," said NC State head coach Kay Yow. "We found a combination of players that had a good chemistry together and that really helped us."
The first saw poor shooting from both sides, neither team managed to put the ball in the basket. NC State was held to just 26 percent, while Maryland shot a bit better and posted just over 33 percent. NC State however showcased excellent ball control and defense as it forced Maryland to 11 first half turnovers, while finishing with just six on its end. The Terps held the lead for the first six minutes before NC State pulled ahead at with 12:28 to go in the first. Oliver led Maryland with 12 of her 17 points and kept the Terrapins close heading into the break. NC State led 24-23, due in part to the rebounding performance by Mendeng, who grabbed seven. In addition, senior Nanna Rivers had eight points as she went 3-of-4 from the floor, which included an early three-pointer.
The second half seemed to be teetering towards Maryland's favor, as it jumped out to a four-point lead after five minutes. Crystal Washington helped the Terrapins along by tallying five straight-points, but it was all NC State from that point on. Mendeng hit a baseline jumper to put the Pack up for good with just over 12 minutes remaining. She went on to score eight points in the half. She, along with freshman Sasha Reaves took care of the post duties. Reaves went 4-of-6 for the game. The perimeter play of the Wolfpack was sustained by the rebounding and penetration abilities of freshman Marquetta Dickens and junior Kendra Bell. Dickens nearly finished with a double double as well with her 13 points and nine boards. Bell added a career-high eight rebounds and nine points.
"I was really impressed with a lot of things Marquetta did today," said Yow. "But I was especially impressed with her rebounding."
NC State went on to shoot 48 percent in the second half and held Maryland again to just 33 percent. NC State outrebounded Maryland 41-37 for the game. The Terrapins were without the services of sharpshooters Shay Doron and Alli Spence for the entire game.
"This is a different team in NC State than we saw last time," said Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. "It was a great effort by their team in rebounding and in taking us out of our offense."
