Nov. 14, 2007

Whittington's Career Night Lifts Pack Over App. State

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No. 24 NC State women's basketball climbed over Appalachian State, 82-69, on Tuesday, Nov. 13, behind a career-high 26 point performance from Khadijah Whittington. 19 of Whittington's 26 points came in the second half, and her 13 rebounds resulted in the 21st double-double of her illustrious career.

She also tied a career high with six steals for the second straight game in 33 minutes of work. Her 21 double-doubles mark the seventh-most in school history.

The Pack was also led by Nikitta Gartrell who posted a career-high evening of her own with 15 points. Shayla Fields recorded 17 points, and Lucy Ellison pulled down a career-best 10 rebounds.

No. 3 Maryland Dominates Delaware, 91-43

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Kristi Toliver had 19 points and 10 assists and Marissa Coleman had 16 points and five assists to help No. 3 Maryland win its third game in five days, 91-43 over Delaware on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.

Jade Perry had 11 points and 15 rebounds and Ashleigh Newman added 18 points and four rebounds for the Terrapins (3-0), who played for the second time without All-American forward Crystal Langhorne. The senior sat out with a sprained ankle.

"We're in a really, really good place right now," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "I love to see how we responded and we just want to keep this momentum and were looking forward to playing in the next game of the WNIT."

The Terrapins will host No.23 Notre Dame in a semifinal on Thursday.

No. 7 North Carolina Too Much For Elon

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North Carolina had its high-pressure, high-speed transition game rolling again.

Rashanda McCants scored 16 points, and No. 7 North Carolina forced 32 turnovers in a 98-53 rout of Elon on Tuesday night.

"Speed, speed, speed, huh?" Elon coach Brenda Paul said.

LaToya Pringle added 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, Jessica Breland had 12 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Italee Lucas scored 12 points for the Tar Heels (3-0), who shot 48 percent, had 53 rebounds to Elon's 33 and had 22 steals.

"We're getting better. A lot of good things," coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "This young lady, Miss Breland, keeps doing really well. She had a double-double again, with only playing 15 minutes. The freshmen are getting better, they're learning to read things better."

Seniors Lead Georgia Tech to 66-61 Win at Tulane

Chioma Nnamaka scored 28 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 66-61 road win over Tulane University (1-1) on Tuesday night at Fogelman Arena in New Orleans.

Nnamaka, a senior from Uppsala, Sweden, was a career-best 10-of-11 from the free-throw line and knocked down four three-pointers in the Yellow Jacket (2-0) win. Senior Janie Mitchell registered her 13th career double-double with 21 points and 12 boards.

The Green Wave pulled within two points with 5:46 remaining but after a bucket and free throw by Mitchell, Tulane guard Nikki Luckhurst was called for a technical foul that sent Nnamaka to line and helped the Jackets pull away with the win.

Freshman Alex Montgomery finished with eight points, three rebounds and three assists and senior Jill Ingram added five points and five assists off the bench for Tech.

Wake Women Set Back Spartans 58-51 in Season Opener

The Wake Forest women's basketball team opened the season with a 58-51 victory over USC Upstate on Tuesday night at Joel Coliseum.

The Demon Deacons now stand at 1-0 in the sapling stages of the season while the Spartans are 0-2 in their first year playing under Division I status.

Junior Corinne Groves put up 15 points for the Deacons and went 3-4 from the charity stripe. The forward out of Black Mountain, N.C., also pulled down eight boards during her 23 minutes of play.

Groves was the only Wake athlete that didn't commit a turnover during the opening contest, a bittersweet honor for the six-foot-three-inch Deacon. Both teams got into trouble on fumbled possessions, with the Spartans forfeiting control 26 times while Deacs posted 21 turnovers.

Jacksonville Holds Off UM Women's Basketball, 72-64

Jacksonville's Virginia Gregoire scored a career and game-high 26 points to lead the visiting Dolphins (2-0) past the University of Miami Hurricanes, 72-64, Tuesday night at the BankUnited Center in nonconference women's basketball action. Senior guard Maurita Reid led Miami with a team-high 19 points and career-best 13 rebounds for her fifth career double-double.

Charmaine Clark scored 11 points while Albrey Grimsley and Carla Williams each scored 10 points for the Hurricanes, who fell to 1-1. Regina Omoite scored 15 points and Ashley Williams poured in 14 points for JU. Gregoire went 4-of-9 from three-point range. Jacksonville shot 44 percent in the second half and finished shooting 40.4 percent for the game. The Dolphins forced UM into 22 turnovers, which resulted in 16 steals for JU. Miami controlled the boards, out-rebounding JU, 45-39.