Duke Outclasses UNC Women

The two teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the pack, making the conference as top-heavy as Pamela Anderson?

But what happens when one of them proves that it might not belong in that esteemed company -- that, in fact, it might be an impostor?

For the second game this season against No. 5 Duke, North Carolina raised that exact question. Watching powerlessly as the game began to slip away yet again in the last few minutes of the first half, the Tar Heels imploded in a 90-75 loss Sunday in front of 7,842 at Carmichael Auditorium, providing further evidence that they aren't on the Blue Devils' level.

After the 19th-ranked Tar Heels led by as many as nine points in the first half, the Blue Devils ripped off a 40-8 marathon run that bridged halftime. In the midst of that spurt, UNC hit only one of its first 21 field goal attempts to open the second half.

With the win, Duke (23-3, 16-0 in the ACC) became only the second team in 25 years of ACC play to go undefeated in the conference.

"You can't go through slumps in scoring like that and beat a team like Duke," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell. "They're just too good."

Just as they did in a 102-82 win against the Tar Heels (22-7, 11-5) on Jan. 24, the Blue Devils began to pull away in the final four minutes of the first half Sunday.

Duke guard Alana Beard, who torched UNC for 26 points, hit a free throw that set the Blue Devils off on a 14-6 run during the final 3:26 of the opening half and gave them a 45-42 lead.

As UNC continually found iron at the start of the second half, Duke scored eight straight points.

Backup center Jenni Laaksonen drove the lane and scored with 16:12 to go, but UNC's second bucket of the half came with 10:37 left. By that time, Duke had scored 18 straight points, six from forward Iciss Tillis, who finished with 23.

"I was so hyped," said Beard, who leapt into Tillis' arms toward the end of the game. "It was so much fun. That was all I was saying: 'I am having so much fun.' I've never played at UNC, and I've never felt like this. It was just awesome."

The Tar Heels couldn't share her joy.

In the first half, they got 15 points apiece from guards Coretta Brown and Nikki Teasley and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, which led to four second-chance baskets.

But in the second half, Teasley and Brown were a combined 4-of-18 from the floor as their team shot 13-of-46 -- its long misses leading to Duke transition buckets -- and the Blue Devils won the rebound battle 30-26.

"I think everybody was frustrated, the whole team, even the players that weren't in the game," said Teasley, who scored 19 points on 4-of-17 shooting.

"And it carried over. It kind of made us rush things when we got in places, and we just missed the shots -- stopped driving. We just got out of our flow from the things that we did in the first half."

Despite the loss, UNC still enters the ACC Tournament this weekend in Greensboro as the No. 2 seed and has visions of facing Duke in the title game.

"I'd love to have the opportunity to play them again," Hatchell said.

Then it'll just be a matter of which team shows up -- an imposter or a legitimate contender.

Teasley Says Goodbye

Teasley, playing in her last game at Carmichael, addressed the fans by microphone at game's end, thanking them for sticking with her while she took last season off.

"Without you guys, and especially without my family, I wouldn't be here right now," said Teasley, who sat out the 2000-01 season to deal with depression.

She then asked the crowd to give her mother, Ernestine, and two of her four brothers, Michael and Tony - the three of whom were in attendance - a round of applause. She also thanked her coaching staff and teammates.

"It's great to go out like this," said Teasley, who holds the UNC record for career assists. "And I'm going to try to bring you home an NCAA championship."

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