Jan. 23, 2005
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COLLEGE PARK, MD. -
North Carolina State coach Kay Yow figured the best way to beat No. 16 Maryland was to focus on stopping the Terrapins' two leading scorers, Crystal Langhorne and Shay Doron.
The Wolfpack executed the game plan to near perfection, and the result was a 67-55 victory Sunday.
Billie McDowell had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Tiffany Stansbury and Khadija Whittington each scored 16 for NC State (15-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But the key was a defense that effectively shut down two of the league's top scorers.
Langhorne had 13 points and 19 rebounds, but was 4-for-11 from the floor. Doron, who came in averaging 20.6 points, scored only 2 points on 1-for-12 shooting.
"Defense is always a large part of our game plan," Yow said. "We knew Langhorne was a person we had to key on, and we knew Doron was."
Langhorne proved difficult to contain on the boards _ "At our best effort she got 19 rebounds today," Yow said _ but Doron simply couldn't shake the Wolfpack's aggressive guards.
Still showing the effects of a sore right shoulder that's been bothering her for nearly two weeks, Doron missed all six of her field-goal tries in the first half and was held scoreless over the final 18 minutes.
"I don't think we can take complete credit for two points for a player like Doron," Yow said.
Doron, who has not practiced since hurting the shoulder against Georgia Tech on Jan. 13 said, "I knew coming in it was going to be sore, but that's never an excuse for shooting that poorly. I definitely think their defense keyed on me, and they did a good job."
Kalika France scored 11 and for the Terrapins (13-4, 3-3), who fell to 9-1 at home.
It was the third straight win for NC State, which never trailed after taking control with a 16-0 run midway through the first half.
"We started turning the ball over and missed a lot of transition opportunities," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "That's a credit to their defense. I think they're one of the best defensive teams that we'll face in the conference."
Down 31-18 after shooting 27 percent over the first 20 minutes, the Terrapins came out firing _ and connecting _ after halftime. France hit a 3-pointer and Doron connected on a jumper from the corner to spark a 14-2 run in the opening four minutes.
McDowell and Rachel Stockdale then hit successive 3-pointers, and a three-point play by Whittington made it 42-34.
Maryland closed to 50-47 before the Wolfpack used an 8-2 surge to go up 58-49 with 4:30 left. Stockdale started the run with a 3-pointer and Stansbury ended it with a three-point play.
That was enough to ensure NC State a victory in its second outing since Yow returned after missing two games while being treated for a reoccurrence of breast cancer.
DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
