Tar Heels Struggle Again on Glass

It didn't have to be.

North Carolina, out-positioned and out-quicked by the Yellow Jackets, grabbed only 21 defensive rebounds, tying a season-low it set on Dec. 30 against Maryland.

The Tar Heels hit the glass just as poorly on the offensive end, collecting only 14 offensive boards. All told, Tech out-rebounded UNC by 25.

Given North Carolina's previous performances, it doesn't seem coincidental that the Yellow Jackets left Carmichael Auditorium with a win.

UNC has lost the rebounding game in each of its four losses this season by a margin of nearly 26 boards per game.

Chrystal Baptist was the lone bright spot for UNC on the glass, securing 14 rebounds.

"We knew rebounding would be major and it was," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell. "Georgia Tech rebounded hard."

All of the Tech players got into the action under the glass. Six Yellow Jackets, including each starter, recorded at least eight rebounds.

Sonja Mallory led Georgia Tech, collecting 13 rebounds, nine of them coming on the defensive end.

Candace Sutton, UNC's second leading rebounder with 7.2 boards per game in ACC play, played only 15 minutes because of an ankle injury.

"It's obvious that when she's in there she made a major difference -- her intimidation and everything," Hatchell said.

The Yellow Jackets showed no reservations about going inside, and players often collected their own rebound after a missed shot.

And while Sutton's replacement, Kenya McBee, found it hard to get position against Mallory, Georgia Tech's guards were also quicker to the ball than were North Carolina's.

Nina Barlin and Milli Martinez collected eight and nine rebounds, respectively.

Sutton's status is questionable for Monday's game against Wake Forest and Thursday's game against Duke, the the league's second best rebounding team.

Said Hatchell, "We're 13-0 when we out-rebound our opponents."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports.unc.edu.