The Wolfpack Women’s tremendous performance in the 2010 ACC Tournament came to a close on Sunday in Greensboro in a 70-60 loss to top-seeded Duke. The Blue Devils were in the title game for the third consecutive year and was determined to fight hard and not falter again after two losses.
State ended the regular season after winning seven of its final nine games, including an upset over No. 22 Georgia Tech on Senior Night. In Greensboro, the Pack took down Clemson, No. 24 Virginia and Boston College before facing Duke in the final. This was a postseason run that some may have thought improbable at the start of the season with a first year coach and a largely untested team.
“I’m extremely proud of our team for so many reasons: for improving, for believing, for working so hard in practice and for playing together,” Harper said. “But in that locker room a few minutes ago, I was proud of them for wanting more. They are hurt that they didn’t win this game, and I’m so proud because of that.”
Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie commended the Wolfpack program and the work that Harper and her staff have devoted to the team. Sunday’s game was dramatically different from the last time the two teams met in early February, where Duke rolled over the Pack 70-39.
“They had an extremely strong finish. They’re a different team now than before,” McCallie said. “It’s great to see because the program has been through a lot. They should certainly celebrate what they’ve done.”
Duke entered the game as the physically bigger, faster team, but it was not reflected in the opening minutes of play as State jumped out to lead 9-2 four minutes in. Harper said the Wolfpack took advantage of what appeared to be a sluggish Blue Devil lineup.
“We talked about having to play with a lot of energy and early on we did start that way,” Harper said. “The kids had about as much energy as I could hope for this.”
Midway through the half, both teams took several rushed shots until the Devil’s fast-paced offense began finding the basket and went on a 12-point scoring run while the Pack picked up three consecutive fouls. A handful of missed shots by State aided in the early Duke comeback.
“We had some good looks at some threes,” Harper said. “If we had knocked those down early, Duke might have tightened up a bit. Those are shots that we typically make.”
Redshirt junior guard Amber White had to hit the bench for several minutes during the half which hurt the game strategy, according to Harper. She had to quickly change rotations and substitutions to adjust to White being out.
“That was one less option for a press breaker. I was expecting Amber to do a great job defensively for us tonight,” Harper said. “Not having her in there at that time took a little out of us.”
Three-pointers from freshman guard Marissa Kastanek and sophomore redshirt guard Emili Tasler helped to close the margin and the Wolfpack headed into the break only down 32-27. Kastanek, who has become a staple in the starting lineup, only made one shot from behind the arc.
In the beginning of the final twenty minutes Duke maintained the lead, but State cut the spread to eleven. The Devils consistently pestered the Pack on passes, getting several tips that led to turnovers.
“They’re so big and long that they covered up a lot of passing lanes. Our guards in particular had a hard time finding an open person,” Harper said. “There were too many turnovers during that stretch. We weren’t quite moving the way we needed to put ourselves in position to find open people.”
The Blue Devils out-rebounded the Wolfpack overwhelmingly on both ends. The game was highlighted by 19 Duke offensive rebounds compared to the Pack’s nine.
Tasler and senior guard Sharnise Beal were shaken up late in the second half. Tasler was shoved to the ground from behind on a foul in the deep corner of Duke territory and Beal suffered an ankle injury. Both received an ovation from the crowd. Tasler re-entered the game and Beal returned to the sideline on crutches.
The team regained some momentum on back-to-back threes from junior forward Brittany Strachan who closed the score to 65-56. But multiple fouls sent Duke to the line and the comeback efforts fell short as the buzzer sounded and streamers rained down on the court, and Duke celebrated a 70-60 victory.
Following the game the 2010 ACC All-Tournament teams were announced and included three members of the Wolfpack. Gartrell and sophomore forward Bonae Holston both received first-team honors while Kastanek was named to the second team.
State had the opportunity to clinch an out-right berth to the NCAA tournament should they have upset Duke. But they will now have to wait for an expected bid to the Big Dance. ESPN’s Bracketology is projecting State as a No. 9 seed in the regional bracket, but the Pack’s strong conference tournament performance may bump the team up as far as seventh. The NCAA will announce team matchups and schedules March 15.
Gartrell, who led the team with 19 points, said that the team must quickly move past Sunday’s disappointing loss and re-group to prepare for the post-season.
“We can’t hang our heads. Even though we lost and wanted to win, we have a whole other season ahead of us in the NCAAs,” Gartrell said. “We just have to get refocused and hopefully it will turn out great.”
Harper said the strides in improvement that Wolfpack Women made down the stretch this season speak volumes.
“Our kids have proven over the last few weeks that they are an NCAA tournament team,” Harper said. “I don’t think that I have to make an argument for these girls. I think they made it for me.”
