Despite finishing the regular season strong with four wins in its last six in recent games, No. 8-ranked N.C. State fell, 59-54, to No. 9 Wake Forest in the opening round of the ACC tournament. The teams were playing for the right to face top-seeded Maryland on Thursday, March 5.

Wake Forest, a team State beat twice during the regular season, jumped out to a 29-22 lead at the half. Though Nikitta Gartrell hit a three-pointer to bring the score within three with 24 seconds remaining in the game, the Pack sent the Demon Deacons to the line and Wake’s Alex Tchangoue put the game away.

State couldn’t get it going from the field and made just 37.3 percent of field goal attempts. In addition, the Pack sank only two of eight tries from the 3-point line.

Sharnise Beal, State’s second leading scorer, sat for the third straight game with a knee injury.

State will host the 2009 NCAA Championships on March 28 and 30.

Before the game, it was announced that freshman Bonae Holston earned the ACC Sixth player of the year award, a new award given to the best player off the bench and voted on by the league’s 12 ACC women’s basketball coaches. Divisional rivals seemed to bring out the best in Holston this season – she was ranked fourth among ACC freshmen in scoring and rebounding, but first in ACC games in both categories. Holston started four games this season, none of which were ACC games, and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team earlier in the week.

Senior Shayla Fields was named to the 2009 all-ACC second team. Fields led the ACC in minutes played for the second season in a row and was third in scoring. She became the 25th N.C. State player to reach 1,000 points in her career in December.