State didn’t just finish strong. It barreled toward the finish line of its 2009-2010 campaign, pulling out a 54-46 win in a tightly-contested match against Georgia Tech on Senior Day at Reynolds Coliseum. It was the team’s first win over a ranked team this season and fifth victory in seven games. Each of the seniors, Nikitta Gartrell, Inga Muciniece, Lucy Ellison, and Sharnise Beal, where recognized prior to the start of the game for their contributions to the Pack. Head coach Kellie Harper decided to start all of her seniors for Senior Day. Muciniece put up the Pack’s first two points of the game. The Pack clamped down defensively on Tech throughout the first half of the game. State held Georgia Tech at 33.3 percent from the field and kept the Yellow Jackets scoreless from the perimeter. State also forced the Yellow Jackets to commit 18 turnovers.

Gartrell lead the way on the defensive end, coming up with four steals for the Pack. Forward Brittany Strachan also had three blocks. ”I’m exited, not only because it’s a ranked team, it’s my home team, and I’ve never beaten them before. So that’s a great feeling, the way me and my teammates came out and played. It was a great team effort and we pulled out a win,” Gartrell said. State went into halftime with a 21-16 lead over the Jackets. Another senior started off the second half for State when Ellison put the Pack’s first two points on the board. Guard Emili Tasler also contributed to the cause early in the second half, hitting two straight threes. State pushed the lead to 11 with a layup from senior Beal, but Georgia Tech did not back down. The Jackets battled back during the second half and cut the lead down to two with 1:58 left in the game. ”Obviously, we got a little shaky with our handles. Hindsight twenty twenty, I think I should’ve called a time out and did not,” Harper said. “Our players were able to regain their poise and come up with some stops defensively and hold on to the basketball.” But Strachan quickly responded with a three from the corner, bringing the lead back to five for the Pack. ”I’m always in the press,” Strachan said. “I’m out wide and if the opportunity presents itself, and it did, and I just kind of let it go.” Despite efforts from Tech to draw within a basket again, State pulled away, and the seniors walked off the court to standing ovations from the crowd. ”I’m glad that it’s a senior night to remember for our four seniors. I’m excited about the way we played the majority of the game. We’re so happy for our team to be able to get this win here at home and finish that regular season out,” Harper said. With this win, N.C. State finished the regular season at 17-12 and 7-7 in the ACC. It earned a No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament, which runs through the weekend, and will take on Clemson, the No. 11 seed, this Thursday at 8 p.m. at Greensboro Coliseum. State lost its only meeting with Clemson this year, a 69-59 decision in S.C., Jan. 31 when the Pack was mired in a three-game losing streak.