A look at day one of the ACC Tourney, Maryland sent home while Miami continued its winning ways

2011 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament
March 3-6 (Greensboro, N.C.)
Tournament Bracket

Georgia Tech 70, Maryland 64

The fifth-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets pulled an upset victory over fourth-seed Maryland in contest that featured seven ties and 15 lead changes. It was definitely of game of runs, as both teams were able to make adjustments on both sides of the ball.

Georgia Tech’s pressure forced Maryland into turnovers at crucial points in the game and the Terrapins definitely showed their youth. Yellow Jacket seniors Alex Montgomery and Deja Foster displayed a great deal of poise. Montgomery struggled in the 1st half but during crunch time she made two big three-pointers. Although, Foster didn’t have a field goal she had 10 boards and was their emotional leader on defense. A bright spot for the Terps was the play of freshman guard Laurin Mincy is finding ways to create her own shot giving their offense another solid option.

Duke 79, Wake Forest 50

Wake Forest, the ninth-seed did hold Duke’s Jasmine Thomas to eight points but that didn’t really matter as three of the ‘baby’ Blue Devils scored in double figures. The top-seed shot 50 percent from behind the arc and defensively they shut down Wake Forest’s guards, who collectively were 3-19 from the field.

Miami 93, NC State 85

Miami is one of the hottest teams in the country, with ACC POY Shenise Johnson, but they may have been looking past the tenth-seed, North Carolina State. The Wolfpack fought and clawed their way back from a 20-3 deficit to eventually tie it up with 12 minutes left.

Miami is a team that can hurt opponents in so many ways especially in transition, they just pulled off the gas a little to early and let NC State make it a tough game. You have to tip your hat to seniors Amber White and Brittany Strachan who left it all on the court in their final ACC game for the ‘Pack.

North Carolina 78, Florida State 65

The 3-6 match up between Florida State and North Carolina resembled a steel cage match more than a basketball game, with over 40 fouls called and numerous body parts being used as weapons. UNC set the physical tone by bodying up Cierra Bravard from the opening tap. FSU could never find any real offensive flow for the majority of the game, as they once again fail to advance past the quarterfinals. Italee Lucas had one of the best shooting performances of the day – she shot almost 50% from the field and took shots within the overall flow of the offense. The Tarheels are going to be a tough out if they continue to share the ball and grind it out on defense.

Lisa Bodine is a basketball scout who evaluates high school talent for ESPN Hoopgurlz and The Real Basketball Report.