Watts breaks ACC 3-point record in UNC women's basketball's 93-77 win over Charleston Southern

Silence was nonexistent. There was a sound coming from every inch of Carmichael Arena on Tuesday. Squeaky shoes, heavy breathing, cheering fans, words exchanged amongst the players. To say the least, it was chaos.

But one voice stood out in the commotion.

Coach Sylvia Hatchell yelled at her North Carolina women's basketball team, trying to shake the Tar Heels back into the game whenever Charleston Southern had a breakaway in UNC's 93-77 win on Tuesday. Over and over, she yelled “defense” at the top of her lungs in hopes to bring the momentum back in North Carolina's favor.

The Tar Heels struggled defensively, resulting in 19 turnovers and 22 personal fouls. Sophomore guard Stephanie Watts, redshirt sophomore guard Paris Kea and redshirt senior forward Hillary Fuller each ended the night with four personal fouls — one short of disqualification.

“We didn’t play our best game defensively,” Hatchell said. “We had some careless turnovers and usually it’s the other way around. The other teams usually have a lot more than we have, but we just weren’t quite as focused as we needed to be out there today."

Eventually, the frustrated coach was able to break through to the team. Through the desperate cries for the players to rally back, one individual took the criticism and shone among the rest of the team.

During North Carolina’s matinee game against Charleston Southern, Watts led the team with a career-high 39 points — tied for the fifth-highest total in program history — while Kea was second with 13 points. Watts also added nine rebounds, two assists and four steals.

“Nobody is in the gym as much as she is," Hatchell said. "She’s here in the morning. She’s here at night. I think the only time she isn’t here is when she is in class."

Watts' previous career high was set last year when she scored 30 points against N.C. State — a mark she almost topped five days before Tuesday's win when she totaled 28 points against Alabama A&M.

Despite the high amount of turnovers and the many grimaces after each shot missed Tuesday, Watts drained 10 triples to set the ACC record for made 3-pointers in a game. She fell one 3-pointer shy of UNC's record for most points in a game (42).

“My shots were kinda falling in warmups," Watts said. "So I was just looking to shoot through, I guess, take them in the game."

While Watts was three points away from the school record for points in a game, she was also two 3-pointers away from tying the NCAA record for made threes in a game.

“It’s a good feeling," Watts said. "My teammates were just able to find me whenever I was open on the court, so it’s a cool feeling. I’ve been working hard and to have it pay off tonight for the team felt so good tonight.”

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