RALEIGH -- The women's basketball team won in thrilling fashion against N.C. State at Reynolds Coliseum 73-68 Sunday. Alana Beard hit both ends of a one-and-one with 8.2 seconds left to give herself her first points of the second half and her team its final five-point lead.
There were 15 lead changes and 11 ties in the nip-and-tuck game. Iciss Tillis gave Duke the lead for good when she nailed a three-pointer with the score tied at 66 with 1:20 to play.
N.C. State responded with a quick two points when Talisha Scates connected on one of her only two field goals on the next possession. The Wolfpack's Amy Simpson then drew a charge from Sheana Mosch, and with a very supportive home crowd, State appeared to take control of the game's momentum.
Duke, however, showed resolve by stopping N.C. State's Kaayla Chones, who led the Wolfpack in scoring with 17, and by Monique Currie hitting two free-throws on the game's next two possessions, pushing Duke's lead to 71-68 with 41.9 seconds left.
The Wolfpack nearly tied the game the next time down the court during a chaotic play where State players frantically searched for an
the shot rimmed out, and Talisha Scates turned over an offensive rebound to Alana Beard.
"We didn't get the shot that we wanted, but we did get a three-point shot and a good three-point shot," said N.C. State coach Kay Yow.
Beard was then fouled by Chones, and then went to the line to record the game's final points.
Duke led 38-31 at the end of the half, which concluded with a Beard buzzer-beating three-pointer. The sophomore had 21 points in the first half, but only attempted four shots en route to going without a field goal in the second, as N.C. State smothered her with a box-and-one defense.
"I give them a lot of credit," said Beard. "[Amy Simpson] was in my face."
Alana's supporting cast stepped it up in the second half, as Iciss Tillis scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half and Sheana Mosch scored eight of her twelve in the latter part of the game as well.
"Alana had a great first half," said Iciss Tillis. "In the second half I was just able to hit some shots."
Yow
"They have a lot of offensive weapons," said Yow.
N.C. State was just three days off a 66-63 upset victory over No. 17 North Carolina, a game in which N.C. State won the rebounding battle 59-40. Despite playing four guards much of the second half, the Blue Devils outrebounded State 42-34.
"We felt like it was going to be a battle of the boards because we had had such a great rebounding game against Clemson, and they had had such a great rebounding game against Carolina," said Duke coach Gail Goestenkors. "We both new that it was key."
One of Duke's biggest strengths, the transition game, was in full form Sunday, as the Blue Devils outscored the Wolfpack 12-0 in fast break points.
"We love to get out and fast break," said Goestenkors. "We're not the biggest post-players in the country, but we do probably have the fastest post-players in the country."
Duke also dominated the free-throw line. Duke went 19-22 while State was only 7-of-9.
"I think free throws were a factor," said Yow. "But I don't think we put ourselves in position to get on the free throw line."
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