The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/976701
62 ■ THE WOLFPACKER WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY BRIAN RAPP Overachievers? Perhaps those on the outside looking in at the 2017-18 NC State women's basketball team might put that label on this group. De- spite low preseason expectations, the Wolf- pack — which was picked to finish 10th in the ACC by vote of the conference coaches — confounded those predictions with the most wins in a season since the 1990-91 campaign. But as far as those on the inside are concerned, the Pack's 26-victory tally, its strong finish in the ACC (tied for fourth) and its first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 11 years are all the accepted results of an almost defiant attitude against the skeptics, those who wrote off this season as a major rebuilding year following the graduation of four senior starters from last year's 23-9 squad that won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2007. "They shut out the noise, stayed focused and really bought into the details … and doing all the little things you need to do to be successful," head coach Wes Moore said. "They played defense [allowing op- ponents just 57.2 points per game, third-best in the ACC, and holding opponents to just 37.5-percent shooting accuracy, second in the ACC] and they rebounded extremely well [9.6 average rebounding margin topped the ACC, and their average of 42.1 boards per game is the highest in Moore's five years in Raleigh]. Those things aren't real flashy, but they help win games. "So, this team did a great job of doing the blue-collar stuff." Despite returning just one starter from last year's 23-win group — senior forward Chelsea Nelson — she and senior center Akela Maize provided the determined lead- ership needed to guide an otherwise young, inexperienced squad through early season setbacks. The Pack lost three of its first four conference games, but achieved a level of success it hadn't reached in more than a de- cade and notched its third top-20 final rank- ing — No. 16 in the final Associated Press poll— in Moore's five years at the helm. That journey produced its share of memo- rable accomplishments, moments and statis- tics, and here are some we feel are the best: Team MVP Nelson was the lone returning veteran from a team that lost 66.2 percent of its scoring from a year ago. If she ever felt any undue pressure due to that role, she certainly never showed it. The Antioch, Tenn., native ended her ca- reer in Raleigh with her best season, lead- ing NC State in both scoring (12.9 points per game) and rebounding (9.4 boards per game), earning first-team All-ACC hon- ors and making the ACC All-Tournament team after averaging 16.0 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games, the most the Pack has played in the ACC Tournament in six years. In the Pack's 51-45 quarterfinal win over Duke, Nelson's 22 rebounds broke a 36-year-old ACC Tournament single-game record. She finished her four years with the Pack ranked fifth all time in the single-season record book in rebounds (329) and made BLUE-COLLAR BUNCH The Wolfpack Worked Hard To Defy Predictions Of Mediocrity And Posted Its Most Wins In 27 Years Senior forward Chelsea Nelson posted team-high averages with 12.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game en route to first-team All-ACC accolades. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN