The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1481002
36 ■ THE WOLFPACKER The biggest shot of her career, per- haps, was a 3-pointer with just 0.3 seconds remaining in the first over- time in the Pack's East Region final game against Connecticut, forcing the first double-overtime ever in an Elite Eight game. The Wolfpack ended up losing that game, but Brown-Turner gave it a chance. Making such a shot against the Hus- kies was big for Brown-Turner, who grew up admiring head coach Geno Auriemma's program. "I knew I wanted to play at the high- est level, to play in the tournament and to win championships," she re- called. "Connecticut was one of my favorite teams because they did those things. "So, for me, it was a full-circle mo- ment. To play in an Elite Eight game against them was big for me." She is eager to see the Huskies again when the Wolfpack play at Connecti- cut on Nov. 20 in a nationally televised game. " I t h u r t rea l ly ba d , l os i n g t h a t ga m e ," B row n -Tu r n e r s a i d . " B u t thinking about all we accomplished last year, we have to take the positive out of it, and I think having the chance to play them again this year, we'll be ready." Brown-Turner has been a consis- tent contributor for the Wolfpack, but last summer she took her skills, along with Wolfpack teammate Cunane, to play for Team USA in the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While Cunane and Kentucky's Rhyne Howard, the tournament's most valu- able player, drew the most attention on that team, it was a valuable learn- ing experience for Brown-Turner. She averaged 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds to help Team USA win the gold medal with a 6-0 record, beating host Puerto Rico in the gold-medal game, 74-59. Brown-Turner said she connected w i t h Tea m USA h ea d coa c h Daw n S ta l e y a n d a s s i s ta n t c o a c h A d i a Ba rnes, wh o lea d the p rog ram s at South Carolina and Arizona, respec- tively. "I learned a lot from them both and f ro m b e i n g a ro u n d g rea t p l aye rs," Brown-Turner said. "I learned to play faster, and I learned that being on that team was about more than just bas- ketball. "It was about playing for my coun- try and playing for something bigger." Pushing The Tempo For her final season at NC State, Brown-Turner will be playing along- side a mixture of familiar and new faces. She, Boyd and Hobby arrived together as freshmen three years ago and have a strong bond as the team's core leadership. Along with the existing roster, they welcome in three new players from the portal, sophomore guard Saniya Riv- ers of South Carolina, graduate center River Baldwin from Florida State and graduate forward Mimi Collins from Maryland. Brown-Turner and Collins know each other well, having played AAU ba s ke tba l l toge t h e r s i n ce seve n t h grade. She likes what she sees from the others so far. "What we have is a lot of athletic players," Brown-Turner said. "We are going to look to push the tempo and play fast. "I'm just going to play hard and do anything I can to help this team win, whether it is playing defense, playing and guarding the best player on the other team, scoring the ball and being a great leader on the team." And if she does that as well as she's done it so far in her career, she might not even need to speak up at all. ■ Brown-Turner has developed a reputation for coming up big at critical moments. In last year's Elite Eight matchup against Connecticut, she scored a team-high 20 points, including a 3-pointer to send the game to double-overtime. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. " My teammates are going to feed off my energy. We can't get too low or too high. My job is to keep the team balanced, keep us going and keep us positive. " Brown-Turner