Nearly halfway through the first half, senior center Gillian Goring already had 10 points, three rebounds and one block.
In a game in which Goring posted a career-high 20 points and tied a career-high in rebounds with 12, the 6-foot-7 senior led N.C. State to a 64-46 win against Boston College on Sunday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.
“I just went with the game plan to work hard and just be a dominant post,” Goring said. “Coach Yow has been fighting every day. My little nagging injuries won’t [compare] to coach Yow’s.”
After Goring not being able to play for the majority of last season and some of this season because of injuries, Yow said having her back has been very beneficial to the team.
“It feels great — it’s a very important part of our team,” Yow said.
“We cried a lot last year when she was injured and couldn’t go, and we couldn’t get her in the lineup, and she wasn’t available. We were just sitting there looking down the bench, thinking ‘Wow, if we could just put her in the game.'”
Goring’s first start of the season was in the first matchup between the Wolfpack and the Eagles. In that game, Goring only posted six points and six rebounds in 18 minutes.
Boston College coach Cathy Inglese, who is in her 14th season as coach for the Eagles, said Goring has come a long way.
“She’s just really big inside,” Inglese said. “She’s got nice hands. She’s got a good feel for the ball. She keeps it high. She’s improved a lot — when I look at her from last year to this year, they’ve done a really nice job with her.”
While Boston College couldn’t slow down Goring, they did give sophomore guard Shayla Fields a tough time. Fields, who posted 20 points while going 5-for-8 from the three-point line the last time the two team’s played, only had five points and had a team-high five turnovers.
Inglese said her team focused more on the 5-foot-6 guard this time around.
“We just made sure we were up on her a lot more,” Inglese said. “Once we got in foul trouble with our two posts, I was really worried that she would get off.”
The game was Yow’s second since returning against Virginia on Jan. 25.
Coming into the game, Yow said she was worried about her team not having the right frame of mind playing a team they’ve already defeated.
“You have to have a mind-set to go out there and understand they might not be battling for fourth place, but they might be battling for eighth place,” Yow said. “That game is just as important to them as it is to us for the place we’re battling for.”
Even though it was her second game back, Yow said she is still working on settling into her role.
“Sometimes I lose my perspective out there,” Yow said. “I’m not thinking what I should be doing — I just react. I think overall, I feel good about my stamina for this game. I still feel I have some energy. I’m just a little weak — that’s the main thing.”
