N.C. State 78, Baylor 72, OT

3/20/2007 8:03 PM

By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -Khadijah Whittington and Shayla Fields just weren't ready to let North Carolina State's emotional season end.

Whittington scored 15 of her career-high 23 points after halftime while Fields knocked down a key 3-pointer in the final minute of overtime Tuesday night to lead the Wolfpack past Baylor 78-72 in the second round of the Fresno Regional.

The win gave Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow her first trip to the NCAA tournament's round of 16 in six years, sending the fourth-seeded Wolfpack (25-9) to a matchup with the Connecticut-Wisconsin-Green Bay winner.

N.C. State has won 12 of 14 since Yow returned from a 16-game leave to concentrate on her cancer treatment. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and it first recurred during the 2004-05 season.

Bernice Mosby scored 26 points to lead the fifth-seeded Lady Bears (26-8), who were trying to reach the round of 16 for the fourth straight year. But Mosby struggled after a terrific first half, including missing a contested jumper at the end of regulation for the win.

In a back-and-forth game in which neither team seemed able to control, the Wolfpack came up with the clinching plays in the final minutes. Whittington went 11-for-20 from the field, finished with 11 rebounds and also slowed down Mosby after her 8-for-9 shooting in the first 20 minutes.

Gillian Goring, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds, scored a go-ahead layup on the Wolfpack's second possession of the extra period. From there, N.C. State got several contributions to stay in front.

Marquetta Dickens, who was 0-for-4 from the field after her 25-point performance in the first round, knocked down a short jumper after Angela Tisdale's two free throws brought Baylor to with in 68-67 with 2:49 left.

Then, after Whittington hit a turnaround shot in the lane, Fields made probably the biggest shot of the game when she drained a 3 from in front of N.C. State's bench with the shot clock winding down to make it 75-69 with 46.9 seconds to play.

It was redemption for Fields, a sophomore who missed a pair of free throws for the lead with 19.8 seconds left in regulation.

Baylor didn't get closer than four points the rest of the way, falling short in a road game against a surging team playing on emotion.

When it was over, Yow gathered with her team and hugged several players at midcourt. Then, she triumphantly held up a Wolfpack hand gesture to the crowd that was giving her a standing ovation as she left the court.