Women's Hoops Falls To North Carolina State
Dec. 19, 1999
MIAMI (AP) – Double-teamed or triple-teamed, one way or another NorthCarolina State’s Summer Erb is going to beat you.
Erb had 28 points and eight rebounds to lead the fourth-ranked Wolfpack overMiami 80-60 Sunday in the first game of the Orange Bowl Women’s Basketball FabFour Tournament.
Erb, who entered the game averaging just 11.1 points, broke out against theHurricanes, making 10-of-15 shots from the field and 8-for-8 from the freethrow line.
But it wasn’t just her scoring than helped North Carolina State to its ninthconsecutive win. It was just her presence on the court.
If Miami (4-3) tried to double or triple-team the 6-foot-6 center, Statejust went to its other options: Kaayla Chones and Tynesha Lewis.
Chones chipped in with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Lewis added 14points, including four 3-pointers.
“I finally had a pretty decent game and it’s starting to make me feel alittle bit better,” Erb said. “I still don’t know if everybody’s learnedabout Kaayla Chones yet, they are still double- and triple-teaming me andleaving her open, which is going to be a big mistake down the road.
“Because of it, I had to get a lot better with my passes and my selection.If I have that many people on me, that means there is at least two people open,I just have to find them.”
Miami was down by just 42-36 with 16:27 to play, but the Wolfpack went on an11-4 run to go up 53-40 with 12:37 to go. After two straight baskets, theHurricanes cut the lead to nine points, but then things fell apart for Miami.
State (9-0) exploded with a 21-6 run over the next six minutes to take a72-50 lead with just over five minutes remaining – ending any hopes of a Miamiupset. Erb led the way with six points during that stretch.
“I felt we came out with more intensity than last game,” said State coachKay Yow. “The first half, I was a little disappointed with our defense and ourrebounding. We had to come back in the second half and get down a littleharder. We know that one of our strength is depth and our depth is what helpsus wear down a team.”
Miami coach Ferne Labati agrees.
“It’s not just about Summer Erb, it’s about a complete system and a verygood bench,” Labati said. “They are able to substitute and still keep thepressure on you.”
