Baylor-N.C. State Preview

3/19/2007 1:46 PM

By AMY JO WALKER
STATS Writer

North Carolina State coach Kay Yow may be enduring her biggest battle off the court, but her players are giving her little to worry about on the floor.

The fourth-seeded Wolfpack try to prevent one of Yow's former players from ending their impressive run when they meet No. 5 seed Baylor in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.

N.C. State (24-9) has won 11 of 13 contests since Yow returned from a 16-game leave to concentrate on treatment of her recurrence of cancer. That stretch includes victories over Duke and North Carolina, who both earned No. 1 seeds in the tournament.

Yow was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago and it first recurred during the 2004-05 season. The Hall of Fame coach is still undergoing treatment, but got a boost from the Wolfpack's 84-52 opening-round win over Robert Morris on Sunday.

It was N.C. State's first NCAA win since 2001, when it advanced to the round of 16. Senior forward Marquetta Dickens scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the Wolfpack, who shot 57.8 percent from the field.

"One thing that really got to us was when coach Yow came out, the other fans didn't clap for her," said Dickens, who is averaging 8.3 points. "That really fired us up at the beginning of the game. We have a lot of respect for coach Yow, this program and what she's done. To be able to play for her is just motivation in itself."

Yow is in her 32nd year at N.C. State, posting a 650-304 record there, and has a 707-323 mark in 36 years as a head coach. She will square off against Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, who was a player when Yow was an assistant on the U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in 1984 in Los Angeles.

"For her to be able to do what she is doing for her team under those circumstances tells you a lot about her," Mulkey said. "It tells you how she affects kids' lives. She has five seniors in her top seven players. Seniors have a sense of urgency without needing extra motivation.

"But when you watch your coach show up for a game as sick as she feels sometimes, you can't help but play hard for her. It's quite an opportunity for me to say I have coached against Kay Yow."

Mulkey has made quite an impact as well, leading the Bears (26-7) to all six of their tournament appearances since she took over in 2000, including a national championship in 2005. Baylor had five players score in double figures Sunday as it beat Chattanooga 68-55 in a first-round matchup.

Jessica Morrow scored 13 points while Angela Tisdale and Bernice Mosby added 12 apiece for the Bears, who are trying to advance to the round of 16 for the fourth straight season. Mosby leads the team with 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

"They have a great player in Mosby, who can do it all," Yow said. "They have a lot of confidence. They play hard-nosed. They have a lot at each position."

Baylor defeated N.C. State 79-63 in their only previous meeting on Dec. 22, 2003, in the San Juan Shootout.