Showing posts tagged “Joy Cheek”
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 ·
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.
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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 ·
1 Mar 2010, 5:08 PM ·
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Duke junior guard Jasmine Thomas is the only Triangle player named to the first unit of the All-ACC women’s basketball team announced by commissioner John Swofford.
UNC’s Italee Lucas was named to the second team and teammate Cetera DeGraffenreid the third, while the Blue Devils’ Joy Cheek was also selected to the third team.
N.C. State sophomore Bonae Holston received honorable mention as did Virginia Tech’s Utahya Drye, who played her high school ball at Northern Durham.
Joining Thomas (pictured) on the first team are Virginia senior Monica Wright - who has received a post-season honor from the conference all four seasons - along with Boston College’s Carolyn Swords, Florida State’s Jacinta Monroe and Miami’s Shenise Johnson.
The ACC also announced its sixth player of the year named by the coaches. It is Georgia Tech’s Alex Montgomery, who was also third-team all-conference.
The conference also announced its weekly honorees, with Florida State’s Courtney Ward - who was second-team all-conference - player of the week and Maryland’s Diandra Tchatchouang rookie of the week. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Alex Montgomery, Bonae Holston, Boston College, Brigitte Ardossi, Brittany Waters, Carolyn Swords, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Clemson, Courtney Ward, Diandra Tchatchouang, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Italee Lucas, Jacinta Monroe, Jasmine Thomas, John Swofford, Joy Cheek, Lele Hardy, Lori Bjork, Lynetta Kizer, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, Monica Wright, Riquna Williams, Secily Ray, Shenise Johnson, Stefanie Murphy, Utahya Drye, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Mike Potter ·
27 Feb 2010, 12:06 AM ·
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CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke is one win from gaining its first No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament for the first time in three years.
But tonight’s opponent for the No. 6 Blue Devils is not an easy one.
No. 21 Virginia, led by probable ACC player of the year Monica Wright, has 20 wins and is in a bye spot for the tournament, and is certain to get an NCAA bid.
Unfortunately because of the unbalanced ACC schedule, this is the teams’ only meeting of the regular season. And the Blue Devils use a big second half to win 83-65, tying Virginia’s worst defeat of the season for their 17th straight victory in the series.
It’s Senior Night for the Blue Devils, and the final regular-season home game for Joy Cheek (pictured), Keturah Jackson and Bridgette Mitchell. And it’s on regional cable TV.
They’ll play at home again, as Duke will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament on March 20 and 22. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Allison Vernerey, Bridgette Mitchell, Chelsea Shine, Debbie Ryan, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Keturah Jackson, Krystal Thomas, Monica Wright, Paulisha Kellum, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech
Mike Potter ·
21 Feb 2010, 4:37 PM ·
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CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke comes into a televised home game in great shape in the ACC women’s basketball race, needing just two wins to clinch the top seed in the conference tournament.
But today’s opponent is a team that’s playing well and just doesn’t like the Blue Devils very much.
Maryland (18-8) has won three straight road games, and lost to Duke only 58-57 at home on Jan. 24 in a game when the Blue Devils obviously had to fight to the end.
There’s a big crowd in the house including a couple of hundred Terp fans behind the Maryland bench.
Today the Terps put up a great fight, but Duke pulls away over the final four minutes to win 71-59.
It’s obvious the teams don’t like each other from the start, as Maryland players bump Duke players as they attempt to line up for the National Anthem. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke Boston College, Brenda Frese, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Karima Christmas, Kynetta Kizer, Lori Bjork, Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Cavaliers
Mike Potter ·
14 Feb 2010, 5:13 PM ·
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Jasmine Thomas (pictured) reassumed her leading scorer role for Duke, pouring in 22 points to lead the Blue Devils to a hard-fought 65-53 win at Virginia Tech.
Karima Christmas added 15 points for Duke (21-4, 9-1 ACC), which had won six straight games at Cassell Coliseum. Joy Cheek chipped in 10 points for the Blue Devils, while Krystal Thomas had 10 rebounds to go with her six points.
Shanel Harrison led Tech (13-12, 2-8) with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Lindsey Biggs had 13 points.
Duke’s next game will be at Georgia Tech on Friday night.
ACC, Duke Georgia Tech, Jasmine Thomas, Joy Cheek, Karima Christmas, Krystal Thomas, Lindsey Biggs, Shanel Harrison, Virginia Tech
Mike Potter ·
11 Feb 2010, 10:26 PM ·
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CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM It’s another of those big Triangle rivalry games in women’s basketball, and unfortunately the only time Duke and N.C. State will play during the regular season.
It’s the first time first-year Wolfpack coach Kellie Harper has faced Duke, the team to which she lost in her final game as a player at Tennessee. That game denied her stated goal of winning four straight NCAA titles.
No. 8 Duke is holding its annual PinkZone game, wearing pink-trimmed uniforms and encouraging fans to wear as much pink as possible in an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer and research to combat the disease.
The Blue Devils will be heavy favorites and probably the toughest opponents the Wolfpack will play during the regular season. With 6-3 Tia Bell among three post players hurt, State has nobody who can come close to looking Duke’s 6-5 freshman Allison Vernerey (pictured) or 6-4 Krystal Thomas in the eye. And the inside mismatches are a big factor as the Blue Devils cruise 70-39. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, N.C. State Allison Vernerey, Bridgette Mitchell, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Kellie Harper, Krystal Thomas, Marissa Kastanek, Miami Hurricanes, Shay Selby, Tia Bell, Virginia Cavaliers
Mike Potter ·
8 Feb 2010, 10:36 PM ·
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CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM It’s one more battle to see which blue-clad women’s basketball team is the best in the Triangle - at least for one night.
And both homestanding No. 8 Duke (18-4, 6-1 ACC) and visiting No. 18 UNC (16-5, 4-3) are in a bit of a bad mood.
The Blue Devils’ chances to run the table in the ACC ended on Thursday, when they got slapped in the face with a 61-57 loss at up-and-down Boston College.
Meanwhile the Tar Heels, who once upon a time were favored to win the conference’s regular-season title, have lost two straight including an 80-69 defeat on Thursday night at Miami that may have made the Hurricanes’ season. We’ll see.
It’s the first time they’ve played each other this millennium when both were coming off a loss.
Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie lost her first six meetings with UNC before the Blue Devils won 81-79 last March 1 on Senior Day at Cameron.
The cameras are in the house for ESPN2’s Big Monday. And Duke gives them a show, putting six players in double figures in a 79-51 rout. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Allison Vernerey, Boston College, Bridgette Mitchell, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Italee Lucas, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Karima Christmas, Keturah Jackson, Krystal Thomas, Laura Broomfield, Miami Hurricanes, Shay Selby, She'la White, Sylvia Hatchell
