Showing posts tagged “Georgia Tech”
Mike Potter ·
15 Mar 2010, 9:56 PM ·
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N.C. State's Marissa Kastanek dribbles up court as Duke's Karima Christmas defends during the ACC Tournament championship game. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
BACKYARD BISTRO/RALEIGH Kellie Harper couldn’t remember exactly when she had been in such a situation before.
Back when the N.C. State women’s basketball coach was a point guard at Tennessee the Lady Vols - who won three NCAA titles during her career - were pretty much in the NCAA Tournament before the season started. Then during her five seasons as head coach at Western Carolina and three seasons as an assistant at Chattanooga before that, Southern Conference teams knew they had to win the conference tournament or they might earn a bid to the WNIT.
But the Wolfpack (20-13) has been on the NCAA “bubble” ever since losing the ACC championship game to Duke eight days ago, although most of the bracketologists had N.C. State in the field.
Harper and her team gathered with about 300 fans on Monday night to watch the Selection Special on ESPN that announced the 64 competing teams.
Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Amber White, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Chattanooga, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Hampton Pirates, Hartford, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Kellie Harper, Louisiana State, Marissa Kastanek, Michigan State, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Nikitta Gartrell, Portland State, Southern Conference, Sylvia Hatchell, Texas A&M, UCLA, Virginia Cavaliers, Western Carolina
Mike Potter ·
14 Mar 2010, 11:01 PM ·
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ACC champion Duke (27-5) is going to be one of the 64 teams on the board when the NCAA Women’s Tournament field is announced tonight at 7 on ESPN.
N.C. State (20-13) and UNC (19-11) think they’re in, but won’t be sure until they see their names on the board tonight.
The Wolfpack and Tar Heels are two of about eight ACC teams who will be waiting with baited breath, first to make sure they’re in the field and then to see where they’re headed.
Duke and Florida State (26-5) are both hosting first- and second-round games, so it’s a certainty the Seminoles are also going to get an invitation. It would also shock the women’s basketball world if Georgia Tech (23-9) or Virginia (21-9) doesn’t get the thumbs-up.
The Wolfpack, under their first-year coach Kellie Harper, and the Tar Heels, under veteran Sylvia Hatchell, likely sealed their invitations with recent wins.
State had to avenge a regular-season loss by beating Clemson in the first round of the ACC Tournament, and the Wolfpack got that done and added two more wins to boot.
The Tar Heels’ signature victory was over Duke at Carmichael Auditorium on Senior Day - UNC’s final game before the ACC Tournament - but they had to beat N.C. Central on Sunday to avoid seeing the bid slip through their fingers, and they got that done. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Joanne P. McCallie, Kellie Harper, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Sylvia Hatchell, Virginia Cavaliers, Wake Forest
Mike Potter ·
14 Mar 2010, 12:01 AM ·
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Eleven ACC women’s basketball teams played their final game before the post-season tournaments at some point during the ACC Tournament last week.
Duke has, of course, clinched an NCAA bid as the conference’s regular-season champion and three other teams - Florida State, Virginia and Georgia Tech - seem to be resting easy about their spot on the board when the NCAA Tournament bracket comes out tomorrow night.
Nearly half a dozen more may or may not be on a “bubble.” Only one has something left to add to the argument.
That’s UNC, which for the second straight year will play a home game on the same day as the ACC men’s tournament final.
Last season it was against South Dakota, and although the Coyotes gave the Tar Heels a good scare at the Smith Center UNC didn’t have to win.
It does today. Sylvia Hatchell’s club is going to be a really big favorite in its 3:30 home contest against N.C. Central in the Eagles’ final game of the season, but the Tar Heels absolutely have to emerge victorious to avoid giving any naysayers on the selection committee a lot of fodder.
Cetera DeGraffenreid (pictured) is the Tar Heels’ assist leader, and has been their best player over the last few weeks. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. Central, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Cetera DeGraffenreid, Danielle DeBerry, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Italee Lucas, Joanna Miller, Joli Robinson, Latoya Bennett, Laura Broomfield, South Dakota Coyotes, Sylvia Hatchell, Virginia Cavaliers
Mike Potter ·
7 Mar 2010, 5:50 PM ·
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Duke celebrates its first ACC women's basketball title since 2004. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
GREENSBORO COLISEUM It’s finals day at the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, and for the ninth time in its 11 seasons in Greensboro there are two North Carolina teams in the championship game.
One of two very different stories is going to be written today.
The most likely one is “Third Time’s the Charm!” That means Duke, which is ranked No. 9 nationally and the tournament’s top seed, beats N.C. State and wins for the first time in Joanne P. McCallie’s three straight trips to the final.
The other is “The Glass Slipper fits!” That means first-year Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper takes her outsized, scrappy sixth-seeded team shakes off its 70-39 loss on Feb. 11 at Cameron Indoor Stadium and pulls off a big upset.
Duke gets McCallie her sixth conference tournament title, including one in the Big Ten at Michigan State and four others at Maine, with a 70-60 victory in front of 9,432 fans.
Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State, Women's Basketball Alex Montgomery, Amber White, Bonae Holston, Boston College, Carolyn Swords, Georgia Tech, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Karima Christmas, Kellie Harper, Lynetta Kizer, Maine Black Bears, Marissa Kastanek, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State, Monica Wright, Nikitta Gartrell, Virginia Cavaliers
Mike Potter ·
6 Mar 2010, 4:57 PM ·
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GREENSBORO COLISEUM Here at the semifinals of the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, this is the side of the bracket that has gone according to form.
Top-seeded Duke is actually supposed to be here, as is No. 4 seed Georgia Tech. Both of these teams are certainly going to the NCAA Tournament no matter what goes down before sunset tomorrow.
The ninth-ranked Blue Devils got through the expected war with Maryland in the quarterfinals, while almost-ranked Georgia Tech came back to take out morning crowd favorite Wake Forest.
The Blue Devils won the regular-season meeting 64-50 on Feb. 19 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with the Jackets putting on a respectable performance. Duke has won a ridiculous 30 straight games in the series.
And the streak continues, as the Blue Devils pull away over the past 10 minutes for a 67-55 victory.
There are seven lead changes and four ties in the first half, as the Blue Devils lead 29-25 at the break. Neither team leads by more than five points over the first 33 ½ minutes.
Joy Cheek finally puts the Blue Devils up by seven, at 55-48 on a layup with 6:19 to go.
Sasha Goodlett cuts it to 55-50 on a layup from Metra Walthour at 5:43 left before the Blue Devils pull away.
Duke scores the next eight points - on Jasmine Thomas’ layup from Shay Selby followed by Thomas steal and layup, a jumper from Cheek and another from Keturah Jackson at 2:47 for a 13-point lead.
Tech never again cuts the margin to single digits, and Duke is going to the final for the third straight season. The Blue Devils’ last championship was in 2004.
Karima Christmas (pictured) leads Duke with 15 points including 10-for-13 from the free-throw line, followed by Cheek and Jasmine Thomas with 10 apiece, all of Thomas’ in the second half. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State, Women's Basketball Deja Foster, Georgia Tech, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Karima Christmas, Keturah Jackson, MaChelle Joseph, Sasha Goodlett, Shay Selby
Mike Potter ·
5 Mar 2010, 6:56 PM ·
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GREENSBORO COLISEUM This is the kind of matchup that more frequently occurs in the championship game of the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, or at least in the semifinals.
Not this year.
Defending conference champion Maryland is the No. 9 seed and has already eliminated preseason conference favorite UNC in women’s basketball’s version of a “Group of Death.”
Today’s opponent is top-seeded No. 9 Duke, which has played in the last two finals and looks for its first title in six seasons and the first under Joanne P. McCallie.
Duke won both regular-season meetings - 58-57 in College Park on Jan. 24 and 71-59 at Cameron on Feb. 21, and that old adage about how tough it is to beat the same team three times in a season is at work.
It does prove to be tough, but Duke survives in the final minute to advance 66-64 and set up a semifinal meeting with Georgia Tech on Saturday.
As the final score shows, it wasn’t easy from the outset.
As was the case against the Tar Heels a day earlier, the Terps come out hot.
Maryland’s biggest lead is 11, at 24-13 on a jumper from Anjale Barrett with 13:24 left in the first half.
Duke responds to the adversity with a 10-2 run, tying it at 26-26 on a Bridgette Mitchell layup with 6:21 left in the half.
The Blue Devils take their biggest lead of the period at 37-31 on a pair of free throws from Joy Cheek (pictured) at the 1:42 mark. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, Uncategorized, Women's Basketball Anjale Barrett, Brenda Frese, Bridgette Mitchell, Dara Taylor, Georgia Tech, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Karima Christmas, Krystal Thomas, Lori Bjork, Lynetta Kizer
Mike Potter ·
5 Mar 2010, 3:53 PM ·
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Duke junior guard Jasmine Thomas has received the annual Kay Yow Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Thomas is currently averaging 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals. She was earlier named a third-team Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine.
Thomas is one of four Blue Devils on the squad, which includes grad student Keturah Jackson, senior Bridgette Mitchell and freshman Allison Vernerey.
N.C. State placed two players in senior Brittany Strachan and freshman Marissa Kastanek.
Others named are Boston College senior Ayla Brown and grad student Brittanny Johnson; Maryland freshmen Tianna Hawkins and Diandra Tchatchouang; Virginia Tech senior Lindsay Biggs and freshman Alyssa Fenyn; Florida State junior Christian Hunnicutt; Georgia Tech junior Deja Foster; and Miami freshman Morgan Stroman.
Lindsay
ACC, Duke, N.C. State Allison Vernerey, Alyssa Fenyn, Ayla Brown, Boston College, Bridgette Mitchell, Brittanny Johnson, Brittany Strachan, Christian Hunnicutt, Deja Foster, Diandra Tchatchouang, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Keturah Jackson, Lindsay Biggs, Marissa Kastanek, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Morgan Stroman, Tianna Hawkins, Virginia Tech
Mike Potter ·
5 Mar 2010, 3:37 PM ·
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GREENSBORO COLISEUM It’s the second edition of “Brunch at the ACC,” with scrappy No. 5 seed Wake Forest taking on No. 4 seed Georgia Tech in an 11 a.m. quarterfinal in front of thousands of enthusiastic middle-schoolers.
Tech, which has nailed down a spot in the NCAA Tournament, is the nominal favorite after a 22-8 regular season and a 72-66 win over the Deacons on Jan. 14 in Atlanta.
Just how close the Deacons of Coach Mike Petersen (pictured) are to an NCAA bid at this spot is anyone’s guess. A win today would certainly strengthen the case, while a miracle run through the tournament would make it certain.
Unfortunately for the Deacons that won’t happen today, as Georgia Tech recovers from an horrific start to win 52-45.
For nearly the first 12 minutes of the game there might as well not have be a basket at the Jackets’ end except when it’s time to go to the free-throw line.
Wake leads 19-7 before Tech hits its first field goal of the day on an Alex Montgomery jumper from the left baseline at 8:01.
The Deacons stretch their biggest lead to 25-9 on a Brittany Waters layup with 4:13 left in the half, but Tech slices the margin to 52-45 at halftime. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, Women's Basketball Alex Montgomery, Brigitte Ardossi, Brittany Waters, Brooke Thomas, Deja Foster, Georgia Tech, MaChelle Joseph, Mike Petersen, Secily Ray, Wake Forest
Mike Potter ·
4 Mar 2010, 3:26 PM ·
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GREENSBORO COLISEUM It’s the opening session of the 33rd ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, and already the balance in the conference is obvious.
Miami (17-12) is the No. 12 seed in the 12-team event as it takes the floor against No. 5 seed Wake Forest (17-12), and the Hurricanes under Duke alumna Katie Meier may well be the best No. 12 seed team in the history of women’s conference basketball tournaments.
As always, the 11 a.m. games are games marketed heavily to area school children, and the arena is going to be full of elementary school kids. Conventional wisdom would have that giving the Deacons a home-court advantage of sorts; back in the day the Wake men’s team once played an entire home schedule in this building.
Mike Petersen’s Deacons, who may yet earn an NCAA bid without having to cut the nets on Sunday, won the only regular-season meeting 67-64 on Jan. 17 at Joel Coliseum.
This one goes right to the buzzer and beyond, with the Deacons surviving 66-65 in overtime.
Wake’s freshman center and South Florida native Sandra Garcia (pictured) scores the first six points of the game before the Hurricanes clamp down defensively, and Miami leads 30-25 at the break.
The Hurricanes score the first six points of the second half, taking the largest lead of the game at 36-25 with 17:33 left in regulation.
But the Deacons come back with a run, scoring 11 straight in one stretch to lead 40-38 on a Courteney Morris 3-pointer with 12:34 to go.
Wake appears to take control for a while, leading 52-46 on a Garcia layup with 4:41 to go. But the Hurricanes keep plugging, and finally tie the score on a Shenise Johnson layup with 17 seconds left. Secily Ray misses for Wake in the closing seconds and we’ll play five more minutes. Continue reading »
ACC Brittany Waters, Camille Collier, Courteney Morris, Georgia Tech, Katie Meier, Miami Hurricanes, Mike Petersen, Riquna Williams, Sandra Garcia, Secily Ray, Shenise Johnson, Tiffany Roulhac, Wake Forest
Mike Potter ·
4 Mar 2010, 12:01 AM ·
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CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM If you look at the ACC women’s basketball season as a whole, it’s hard not to say Duke is a solid favorite to win the conference tournament that starts this morning at Greensboro Coliseum.
The No. 1 seed Blue Devils are ranked No. 6 nationally and finished three games ahead of anybody except Florida State, a team they destroyed 73-43 during the regular season.
But the problem for the Blue Devils is their bracket.
Joanne P. McCallie’s club has a bye today, then will play on Friday at 3 against the winner of today’s 3 p.m. first-round game between UNC and Maryland, the two teams that probably love to beat Duke the most and the two that have combined to win the last five tournaments in Greensboro.
In fact, whichever team that comes out of that group and into the semifinals will be the only team that has ever won the event during its 10-year run in the Gate City.
“That’s OK,” McCallie (pictured) said during a semi-regular press luncheon on Wednesday in the press room at Cameron. “It’s a little bit strange to see both Maryland and North Carolina in an 8-9 game. If you look at the numbers it’s weird. Why are they in an 8-9 game? Obviously they’re very good teams. But from our standpoint it’s anybody, anyplace, anywhere. So we just get ready to go, kind of thing. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Amber White, Beth Dunkenberger, Bonae Holston, Boston College, Brooke Thomas, Bruttany Waters, Carolyn Swords, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Clemson, Cristy McKinney, Dara Taylor, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Italee Lucas, Jaclyn Thoman, Joanne P. McCallie, Katie Meier, Kellie Harper, Keyrra Gillespie, Laura Broomfield, Lele Hardy, Lindsey Biggs, Lynetta Kizer, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Mike Petersen, Nikki Davis, Riquna Williams, Secily Ray, Shenise Johnson, Sylvia Crawley, Sylvia Hatchell, Utahya Drye, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
