Women's basketball glides to 16-point victory in conference opener

When junior forward Xylina McDaniel went down with a leg injury against Elon on Dec. 21, many wondered how the No. 9 North Carolina women’s basketball team would move on without one of its key players.

The Columbia, S.C. native averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in the team’s first 12 games, and was voted onto the Preseason All-ACC team in October.

But as they entered conference play on Sunday without one of their biggest pieces, the Tar Heels and Coach Sylvia Hatchell decided to go small once again, and in the process routed rival North Carolina State, 72-56.

The Tar Heels came out of the gates by starting four guards against the Wolfpack, with sophomore forward Stephanie Mavunga acting as the low-post anchor on both sides of the ball.

N.C. State (9-5, 0-1 ACC) tried to set its offense in motion in the first half primarily through the use of screens, but the shorter, quicker lineup allowed North Carolina (14-1, 1-0 ACC) to switch on every pick.

“We can switch a lot,” said Hatchell about her new defense.

“They really play off each other. They were just switching on everything and I think that made a difference.”

With very little breathing room, the Wolfpack shot a horrid 9-for-33 (27.3 percent) from the field in the first half, something that NC State Coach Wes Moore attributed to a rapid Tar Heel defense.

“They’re long and athletic and they’re getting to you a little bit quicker than some of the teams you’ve faced so it takes a little while to adjust,” he said.

“You get a couple shots blocked, and so you get a little rushed getting your shot off a little bit quicker. I think that affected us some.”

The second half was a story of the North Carolina offense, which flourished under the four-around-one system. Mavunga, two days after putting up a career high 26 points against East Tennessee State, racked up 16 in the second half against N.C. State.

On the outside, guards Brittany Rountree and Jessica Washington found their mark several times, and knocked down six-combined 3-pointers. What often set up these baskets were passes from other driving Tar Heel guards.

North Carolina ended with 17 assists on its 27 made field goals.

“They’re very unselfish. We got some good penetration, and they dished it off to each other,” said Hatchell about the number of assists.

“We have four kids that can shoot threes and drive and kick and rebound and everything like that so you’ll probably see us do some different things, but I really like playing four guards.”

Mavunga made her presence felt in the assist column as well, whether she was catching the ball at the high post and finding open shooters or grabbing an offensive board and dishing it to the wings.

The forward finished with a game-high five assists on the night, something she was very proud of when speaking at the postgame press conference.

“In high school I never really got assists. I kinda got called the black hole, because when it came in — I’m gonna be honest — it didn’t come out,” she said.

“It’s fun you know seeing your teammate celebrate and them pointing at you, like when Brittany (Rountree) pointed at me from three I’m like: ‘Yeah I passed that to her.’ I just really love watching someone celebrate after I pass it to them.”

“I take pride in that you know.”

sports@dailytarheel.com