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Home > SECWB News & More! > WNIT > Gamecocks Take on the Wolfpack in Second Round WNIT Action
Gamecocks Take on the Wolfpack in Second Round WNIT Action
by Marilyn McManus, SECWB.com
Posted: March 22nd, 2008 @ 11:35pm
South Carolina has advanced to the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament and will travel to Raleigh, NC on Monday night to face the Wolfpack of North Carolina State University.
USC played NCSU recently, just last season; however, the Gamecocks team–today–bears little resemblance to the team that dropped a 41-53 decision at Reynolds Coliseum in November of 2006. That senior-laden team suffered a horrible shooting night: 15 of 64 from the floor, 11 of 20 from the free-throw line and 0 of 9 from 3-point range. The only starter from that game that remains on the team is Demetress Adams, who actually had a fairly decent game against NCSU (if you ignore 4 turnovers), with 9 points on 4-8 shooting from the floor and 8 rebounds. Seniors Lakesha Tolliver and Ilona Burgrova played a combined 20 minutes in that game and had a combined total of 2 points, 8 rebounds and 5 turnovers.
But let’s leave the past behind and look ahead to focus on Monday’s game. NC State is 18-12, this season, and returns 3 starters from last year’s team. Senior Kadijah Whittington is the heart and soul of the Wolfpack, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds per game. Junior guard Shayla Fields also scores in double figures with 13.2 points per game. Nobody else comes close to Whittington’s rebounding numbers, either on offense or defense, but sophomore Lucy Ellison pulls down 6 rebounds a game. Whittington, Fields and sophomore Nikitta Gartrell are the solid starters; four players alternate filling in the other two starting positions.
The Wolfpack is coached by Kay Yow, now in her 33rd year of coaching at NCSU. Yow has over 700 career victories, 20 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 11 trips to the Sweet Sixteen and 1 trip to the Final Four in 1998. She has 5 regular-season ACC championships, 4 ACC Tournament titles, 20 20-win seasons and 28 winning seasons. She was the first ACC women’s basketball coach to surpass 650 wins. I could go on for pages, seriously, but I’m not writing Coach Yow’s biography. This trip to the WNIT is only the second of Yow’s career; the last time she had a team in this tournament was her first year of coaching at NCSU.
South Carolina is led by freshman shooting guard Jordan Jones, who averages 12.6 points per game and broke a WNIT record Friday night, hitting 9 3-point shots in Carolina’s opening round victory over North Carolina A&T. Junior Demetress Adams averages 11 points and 9 rebounds per game, as well as leading the team in blocked shots (54) and steals (64), while junior guard Brionna Dickerson averages 10.4 points per game. Speedy point guard Samone Kennedy, who usually comes in off the bench, has 103 assists and finished the regular season at 10th place in the Southeastern Conference standings with an average of 3.34 per game. She also ranked 6th in assists/turnover ratio. Kennedy was critical to the success of the Gamecocks in the first-round game. Her presence in the lineup increases the tempo on both ends of the court and her ability to draw the defense to her lets the Carolina shooters get set for their shots.
Reynolds Coliseum is a tough place for a visiting team to play, a definite advantage for the Wolfpack. NCSU may also feel that they have something to prove, after being left out of the NCAA Tournament, despite a pretty decent record and no horribly embarrasing losses. (There were 3 losses by more than 10 points: to Virginia, Duke and Maryland.)
The Gamecocks are just happy to be playing in the post-season–and maybe that’s an important point. The NC A&T Aggies gave the Gamecocks a very tough game for the first 20 minutes, keeping it fast and physical and the score close. The Gamecocks were not rattled and didn’t lose focus–they made plenty of mistakes, but they didn’t wallow in them–they scrapped and they hustled and they actually seemed to be having FUN , playing the game. I can’t remember the last time I had that impression, watching the Gamecocks, and it was a welcome change. I know that they are feeling the pressure that comes from having a mediocre record and all of the speculation about coaching changes. Here’s a little bit of completely unsolicited advice: Forget about it. There’s nothing you can do, now, to change what has already happened. So go out and play–just play–like there’s no tomorrow. You’re good at this game. Enjoy it.
The second-round WNIT game is at Reynolds Coliseum, Monday night, on the campus of NC State University. Game time is 7 pm.
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