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GREENSBORO — One young career moved on while a veteran career closed Thursday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Freshman point guard Brooke Thomas helped push Wake Forest past N.C. State 59-54 in the first round of the ACC women's tournament. She'll get her second taste of the experience today when the ninth-seeded Deacons (19-10) meet No. 1 Maryland (25-4) at 3 p.m.

While Wake celebrated its first tournament win since 2005, an emotional season ended for the Wolfpack (13-17), which went 5-6 record after the death of coach Kay Yow on Jan. 24.

Shayla Fields, the only senior on State's roster, did what she could with 15 points. She scored seven straight points late in the game as the Pack rallied from an 11-point deficit to within 57-54.

It just wasn't quite enough.

"I'm very sad," Fields said. "I didn't want this day to come at all. It's been very emotional for me, and I am going to miss every aspect of being a college student and a college athlete."

Stephanie Glance, Yow's longtime assistant who became interim head coach, occasionally dabbed her eyes during the post-game press conference.

"I told them in the locker room that I felt like they gave their best," Glance said. "Our best just fell short today."

State missed the scoring of junior guard Sharnise Beal, who averages 11.5 points but was out with a knee injury. On the flip side, the Deacons were led by 18 points from 6-foot-3 senior Corinne Groves, who missed both regular-season games against State. When the teams played in Raleigh, Groves was so sick she couldn't travel.

"I felt like I owed them something," Groves said. "It was hard laying there in the hospital and watching it on the computer and not being there for my team. It was important for me to get out there and show them what they missed the first time."

Plenty of others contributed -- freshman Secily Ray of Thomasville grabbed 13 rebounds -- as Wake beat State for only the eighth time in 68 games. And then there was Thomas, thrust into a starting role when Tiffany Roulhac tore an ACL on Dec. 26.

Thomas admitted to being nervous at tip-off time.

"And then Co (Groves) had to shake me around and yell at me because I wasn't talking, and that's not me." she said.

Petersen said the demands on a freshman playing point guard are great.

"We are really asking that kid to do a lot, considering she is 4-11, weighs about 12 pounds and looks like she is 6," he said.

Thomas also has the advantage of youthful exuberance. She said she's not intimidated by Maryland, which beat the Deacons 92-65 in January.

"The first time we played them we went down 20-0," Thomas said. "It wasn't because we weren't playing good; we just didn't hit any shots. So I'm kind of confident. I think we can play with them, we've just got to make the shots. If everybody on our team is playing good at one time, I think we can beat anybody in this tournament."

WAKE FOREST (19-10) — Thomas 3-9 3-5 9, Tchangoue 4-14 1-2 9, Ray 1-7 3-4 5, Morris 3-8 0-0 9, Groves 8-11 2-3 18, Collier 2-5 0-0 5, Riddle 0-0 1-2 1, Waters 1-3 0-0 3. Totals 22-57 10-16 59.

N.C. STATE (13-17) — Gartrell 6-15 3-3 16, Bell 3-11 2-2 8, Strachan 1-3 0-0 2, Fields 6-16 2-2 15, Ellison 0-2 0-0 0, Holston 6-12 1-2 13, Kenney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 8-9 54.

Halftime—Wake Forest, 29-22. 3-point goals—Wake Forest 5-18 (Morris 3-6, Waters 1-2, Collier 1-4, Tchangoue 0-3, Ray 0-2, Thomas 0-1), N.C. State 2-8 (Fields 1-3, Gartrell 1-4, Strachan 0-1). Rebounds—Wake Forest 36 (Ray 13), N.C. State 36 (Ellison 7). Assists—Wake Forest 13 (Thomas 7), N.C. State 10 (Gartrell 3). Total fouls—Wake Forest 13, N.C. State 17. Fouled out—Bell. A—5,371.