For the first time since Jan. 13, in a game at Virginia, N.C. State out rebounded an ACC opponent. The six-game stretch ended as the Wolfpack out-rebounded Wake Forest 38-35.
Leading the way in a department in which the Pack have struggled, was Marquetta Dickens who had 13 rebounds on the night. Dickens added 11 points to keep cellar-dwelling Wake Forest in last place in the conference.
The 6-foot guard from Tarboro easily surpassed her season averages of 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
“We had our main focus on rebounding and defense,” Dickens said. “It’s just a matter of pursuing the ball and watching the ball and see where it’s going to come off … instead of just crashing the boards without reading the ball first.”
State stayed in a match-up zone most of the night, and it limited Wake’s perimeter players Liz Strunk and Cotelia Bond-Young — the ACC’s second all-time three-point shooter — to 14 combined points.
“She’s one of their key players,” Dickens said of Strunk. “We know she likes to cut, and she’s a three-point shooter, so we just try to take the things she likes to do away from her.”
A frustrated Strunk, who hit the game-winner in the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season, fouled out with little less than nine minutes remaining in the game.
“Obviously they did some things that bothered Liz Strunk,” Demon Deacon coach Mike Petersen said. “And we had some foul trouble that we created on our own — we didn’t move our feet quick enough.”
Dickens played an instrumental part of the Pack’s 10-2 run to end the first half up 40-28. During that period, Dickens nailed two free throws and claimed an offensive and defensive rebound apiece in the final 3:10 of the half.
“We’ve watched a lot of film and seen things that we weren’t doing as well as we needed to,” Coach Kay Yow said. “The credit goes to them — after seeing some of the mistakes that we were making, they got together as a team and decided ‘we need to do this better, and we can do this better.'”
State opened the second half the same way it closed out the second — scoring nine unanswered to extend the lead by 21. Dickens again played a major role in the streak by stripping Wake guard Yolanda Lavender and taking it in for the lay-up.
“Definitely we stepped it up on the defense today. Our defense always leads to our offense,” teammate Ashley Key, who scored 19, said.
In her second career double-double, Dickens tied her career high in rebounds. Her other high came in her last double-double in last year’s performance against Louisville.
“I just hope to see many more,” Dickens said. “That’s the main thing — just try to be consistent night in, night out and crash the boards.”
