Perhaps being ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll and playing Virginia at the same time bodes well for the N.C. State (10-4, 1-1). In their last meeting with the Cavaliers in Raleigh on Feb. 3 of last season, the Wolfpack, then-ranked No. 25, emerged victorious after rallying from a 16-point deficit in the second half.
Tonight at 7 p.m., State will look to get back on track after a one-point loss at Wake Forest against a Virginia (11-2, 0-1) team hungry for its first conference win this season.
And for the second time in two years, the Pack will put their newly acquired No. 25 ranking on the line against the Cavaliers.
For the Pack to win, Coach Kay Yow said solid backcourt play is essential.
“We need to penetrate,” Yow said. “That’s been a strength of our team this year. We need to take care of the ball and really play aggressively offensively, that will help us greatly in this game.”
Billie McDowell, who put up 17 points in the last match between the two teams, said her team will have to keep Virginia out of the paint.
“The majority of their players penetrate,” McDowell said. “And they do have some shooters as well, so we have to play the penetration and their shooting. We have to go out there and really execute our offense and play team defense as well. Just go out there ready to play and want it more than they want it.”
Last Sunday, the Cavaliers had their eight-game win streak snapped in Tallahassee against Florida State, 60-46. However, Friday’s match with the Pack will mark Virginia’s first home conference game of the young season.
The test for the Pack will be to find holes in a Cavalier defense that currently ranks second in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to 50.2 points per game.
The Cavaliers boast two freshmen in guard Sharnee Zoll, who draws comparisons to former standout guard Dawn Staley, and forward Lyndra Littles. Zoll leads the team in assists with 6.2 per game and also in steals with 2.9 per game. Littles comes off the bench to average 10.3 points per game and leads the team in rebounds with 8.2 per game.
State goes into Friday’s meeting in University Hall having won the last two contests between the teams. To preserve that streak, Coach Yow said consistent play from senior center Tiffany Stansbury is vital. Stansbury, the team’s leading scorer with 14.9 points per game, shoots a lofty 58 percent from the field.
“She’s our leading rebounder, and we look for her on the inside,” Yow said. “She gets a lot of double teams from a lot of the teams that we play, and we are probably going to see more and more double teams as we enter ACC competition.”
The Pack has won eight out of its last ten games — an impressive feat considering the team possesses the fourth toughest schedule in the nation.
Coach Yow said she is preparing the team to stop the Cavaliers’ high-tempo offensive scheme.
“One of the things they do extremely well is penetrate; their penetration is a main concern for us,” Yow said. “They run the floor really well. They are very athletic so we have our hands full, that’s for sure.”
Sophomore forward Khadijah Whittington said efficiency on both ends of the floor will translate to victory.
“They have good defense, so we just need to execute,” she said. “If we execute and play good defense, I think we’ll be fine.”
