Showing posts tagged “Krystal Thomas”
Mike Potter ·
19 Mar 2010, 4:30 PM ·
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CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke begins its 16th straight appearance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon, and Joanne P. McCallie’s Blue Devils have one benefit they’ll have for the first time since 2004.
They’re starting the tournament on their home floor.
Duke (26-5), which is ranked No. 6 nationally, has the No. 2 seed in the Memphis Region and will take on No. 15 seed Hampton (20-11) in a 2:30 p.m. game at Cameron.
It’s the second game of a doubleheader, as No. 7 seed LSU (20-9) will face No. 10 seed Hartford (27-4) in the noon game, with the winners squaring off at 7 p.m. Monday night.
Plenty of tickets are available.
Duke isn’t the only Triangle ACC team playing its first-round game Saturday, as No. 10 seed UNC (19-11) will take on No. 7 seed and nationally No. 18-ranked Gonzaga (27-4) in the Sacramento Regional in Seattle at 10:30 p.m. The No. 10 seed is the Tar Heels’ lowest NCAA seed ever.
No. 9 seed N.C. State (20-13) will play its first-round game on Sunday night against No. 8 seed UCLA (24-8) in Minneapolis in the first round of the Kansas City Regional.
Duke and Hampton have one thing in common that the other teams at Cameron don’t, and it’s not because they’re blue-clad teams from well-regarded private schools in neighboring states.
They both won their conference tournaments - in locations about half an hour apart, as the Blue Devils won the ACC in Greensboro and the Pirates won the MEAC in Winston-Salem.
“We’re obviously really proud to host this wonderful NCAA Tournament, and we’re grateful to a lot of people at Duke that made this possible,” said McCallie, whose team last season played its NCAA games at Michigan State where she was the former coach and lost to the Spartans in the second round. “That’s just a great thing for Duke, and it’s really reflective of the long tradition and history here.”
The Blue Devils will be taking on a Pirate club in its first season under David Six, who began the campaign as interim head coach and has earned a three-year contract.
Hampton is 0-5 in first-round NCAA games at the Division I level, but won the NCAA Division II title in 1988.
“This is hallowed ground in terms of basketball, Cameron Indoor Stadium,” said Six, one of whose assistants is former N.C. Central point guard and assistant coach Annitra Cole. “Everybody’s heard about it or seen it on TV. But at the end of the day the court’s 94 feet, the baskets are 10 feet off the ground. So that’s what I’ve told my young ladies, and we’re ready to go. I just think that we can’t get caught up. We’re happy to be here; don’t get me wrong. We celebrated that we’re here, but now that we’re here we want to stay. It’s like getting into a party and then getting put out. We want to dance a little while, so let’s try that.”
Duke, of course, would like to believe it can go a long way in the tournament.
“I just think we have to be focused, stick to our game, and play the way that’s made us successful,” senior forward Joy Cheek (pictured) said. “Play defense and make the hustle plays. In the tournament everyone has played 30-plus games, so every game is not going to be pretty - it’s the team that wants it more. And we have to want it more that our opponent each game. So if we want to make a deep run in the tournament - which I think we’re more than capable of doing - we have to go out and play like every game is our last game.” Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Alana Beard, Annitra Cole, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga, Hampton Pirates, Hartford Hawks, Heather Bowman, Italee Lucas, Jasmine Thomas, Jericka Jenkins, Joanne McCallie, Joanne P. McCallie, Joy Cheek, Kelly Graves, Krystal Thomas, Laura Broomfield, Lindsey Harding, Louisiana State, MEAC, Quanneisha Perry, Sylvia Hatchell, UCLA, Vivian Frierson
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 ·
28 Feb 2010, 12:01 AM ·
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It’s the final day of ACC women’s basketball before the tournament starts in Greensboro four days from now.
All three Triangle teams are, well, in the Triangle on a very big day for all involved.
It has been a long time since UNC has still been fighting for an NCAA berth in late February, but that’s the case for a Tar Heel team that has lost seven of its last eight games.
The Tar Heels will host No. 6 Duke today at 3 p.m. at Carmichael Arena in a game to be shown live nationally on the Fox Sports cable channels, and an upset of the Blue Devils on Senior Day might be just what Sylvia Hatchell’s club needs to nail down a bid.
That won’t be an easy task, as Duke routed the Tar Heels 79-51 on Feb. 8 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. In its third season under Joanne P. McCallie (pictured), the Blue Devils have already clinched an ACC regular season championship and want to keep making the case for a No. 1 seed going into the NCAA Tournament.
Today will be the final home game before the tournament for Tar Heel seniors Trinity Bursey and Martina Wood.
An hour before that one starts N.C. State, which has been one of the surprises of the ACC in its first season under Kellie Harper, will look for an upset over visiting No. 22 Georgia Tech in the Senior Day game for Nikitta Gartrell, Lucy Ellison, Sharnise Beal and Inga Muciniece.
State’s only home ACC loss this season has been to UNC.
There are six games on today’s ACC slate, and the only seeds already set for the tournament are Duke at No. 1 and Florida State at No. 2. Georgia Tech is also guaranteed a bye into the quarterfinals. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill Amber White, Bonae Holston, Brigitte Ardossi, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Deja Foster, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Inga Muciniece, Italee Lucas, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Kellie Harper, Krystal Thomas, Laura Broomfield, Lucy Ellison, MaChelle Joseph, Martina Wood, Nikitta Gartrell, Sharnise Beal, Sylvia Hatchell, Trinity Bursey
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 ·
26 Feb 2010, 2:11 AM ·
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CARMICHAEL ARENA/CHAPEL HILL UNC hasn’t had a women’s basketball season typical of its recent tradition.
But Tar Heel coach Sylvia Hatchell (pictured) said there’s no reason the redemption can’t start tonight.
Tonight at 6:30, the Tar Heels will be on the road looking to complete a season sweep of a Georgia Tech team ranked No. 22 in the country. It’s the opener of a TV doubleheader on Fox Sports South, which will conclude with No. 6 Duke hosting No. 21 Virginia at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 8:30.
The Duke game is one of two women’s contests in Durham tonight, as N.C. Central hosts Longwood on the Eagles’ Senior Night. Duke alumna Wanisha Smith is an assistant coach for Longwood.
Hatchell’s Tar Heels were the media’s preseason picks to win the ACC regular-season title, albeit before All-America candidate Jessica Breland was determined to be out for the season with lymphoma. Breland is almost ready to play, but will take a redshirt and do her senior season in 2010-11.
And the last time UNC played Georgia Tech - that in the Tar Heels’ conference opener - it was 13-1 after the 89-78 victory. Now Hatchell’s club is 17-9, 5-7 in conference play and scratching to try to wrap up an at-large NCAA berth. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. Central, UNC-Chapel Hill, Women's Basketball Becky Fernandes, Brigitte Ardossi, Brittani Billups, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Danielle DeBerry, Debbie Ryan, Deja Foster, Georgia Tech, Italee Lucas, Jasmine Thomas, Jessica Breland, Joanna Miller, Joanne P. McCallie, Joli Robinson, Kristin Caruso, Krystal Thomas, Latoya Bennett, Laura Broomfield, Longwood, MaChelle Joseph, Monica Wright, Sylvia Hatchell, Virginia Cavaliers, Wanisha Smith
Mike Potter ·
20 Feb 2010, 11:46 PM ·
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It’s the penultimate weekend in ACC women’s basketball, and there are two big rivalry games in the Triangle today.
The one that isn’t sold out is on TV.
UNC will host N.C. State for the 90th time in its annual PinkZone game at refurbished Carmichael Arena. Tickets are not available for the 2 p.m. contest, which will be one of two sellouts in the building this season along with Duke’s visit a week from today.
Italee Lucas (pictured) is the Tar Heels’ leading scorer, and poured in a career-high 33 points in their 81-69 victory in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 25 in Raleigh.
First-place Duke, meanwhile, will host heated rival Maryland at 1 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium, looking to move to within one win of clinching the ACC regular-season title. The No. 8 Blue Devils’ game with the Terps will be shown on Fox Sports South. Duke won the teams’ first meeting of the season 58-57 in College Park.
Where anyone else will finish is very much up for grabs. UNC and NCSU are in a four-way tie for sixth in the conference, just one game behind fourth-place Georgia Tech which currently holds the final prospective first-round bye in the conference tournament. Continue reading »
ACC, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill Amber White, Bonae Holston, Brenda Frese, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Dara Taylor, Georgia Tech, Italee Lucas, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Kellie Harper, Krystal Thomas, Laura Broomfield, Lynetta Kizer, Maryland Terrapins, Sylvia Hatchell
Mike Potter ·
19 Feb 2010, 11:20 PM ·
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Jasmine Thomas led the way as No. 8 Duke continued its mastery of Georgia Tech in ACC women’s basketball.
Thomas (pictured) scored 20 points, giving her 999 for her career, as the Blue Devils topped the homestanding No. 19 Yellow Jackets 64-50 for their 30th straight win in the series.
Krystal Thomas and Karima Christmas added 10 points each for the Blue Devils (22-4, 10-1 ACC), who moved one step closer to the conference regular-season crown with three games left in the season.
Deja Foster had 15 points and Brigitte Ardossi 14 for Georgia Tech (20-7, 6-5), which is trying to hold onto its fourth-place spot in the conference standings and its prospective bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
The Blue Devils host Maryland on Sunday at 1 p.m.
ACC, Basketball, Duke, Women's Basketball Brigitte Ardossi, Deja Foster, Georgia Tech, Jasmine Thomas, Karima Christmas, Krystal Thomas, Maryland Terrapins
Mike Potter ·
19 Feb 2010, 1:01 AM ·
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N.C. State is right on the bubble in women’s basketball.
One more win for Kellie Harper’s team means the Wolfpack will win at least as many games as it loses this season and almost certainly be headed for post-season play.
At least two projected brackets currently have State among the final teams eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration, so every win is a good win.
Tonight at 6:30, the Wolfpack will host Boston College in a “Pack the House” game at Reynolds Coliseum, with tickets going for just $1. It’s the opener of a cable TV doubleheader in ACC women’s basketball, with No. 8 Duke’s game at No. 19 Georgia Tech the nightcap on Fox Sports.
BC, coached by Sylvia Crawley who played on UNC’s NCAA championship team in 1994, beat the Wolfpack 83-66 on Jan. 10 in Chestnut Hill.
Amber White (pictured) is the Wolfpack’s assist leader.
Duke has won 29 straight meetings with Georgia Tech. A Blue Devil victory tonight would mathematically eliminate Georgia Tech in the race for the top seed in the ACC Tournament, and cut their “magic number” to clinch the top seed to two.
Tonight will be the Yellow Jackets’ PinkZone game. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State, Women's Basketball Amber White, Bonae Holston, Boston College, Brigitte Ardossi, Carolyn Swords, Deja Foster, Georgia Tech, Jaclyn Thoman, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Kellie Harper, Krystal Thomas, MaChelle Joseph, Sylvia Crawley
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 ·
14 Feb 2010, 12:01 AM ·
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With the ACC regular-season race starting to wind down, two of the Triangle’s three conference teams will be in action today.
Duke can take another step toward the conference’s regular-season crown on the road today if the No. 8 Blue Devils can complete a season sweep of Virginia Tech. Northern Durham alumna Utahya Drye leads the Hokies in scoring and rebounding.
Meanwhile, N.C. State needs to win two more games to assure itself a .500 season, and gets a tough challenge at home today from Miami in its annual “Hoops 4 Hope” contest to be shown on ESPN.
It will be the only regular-season meeting of the season with the Hurricanes for State, which is led in both scoring and rebounding by Bonae Holston (pictured).
Miami is coached by Duke alumna Katie Meier.
Duke won the first meeting with the Hokies this season, 69-38 on Jan. 21 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Continue reading »
ACC, Basketball, Duke, N.C. State Alyssa Fenyn, Amber White, Beth Dunkenberger, Bonae Holston, Diane Barnes, Jasmine Thomas, Joanne P. McCallie, Katie Meier, Kellie Harper, Krystal Thomas, Miami Hurricanes, Riquna Williams, Shenise Johnson, Utahya Drye, Virginia Tech
