Women Take Hot Streak on Road, Beat State

With 4:03 remaining in the second half of Sunday's game against N.C. State, Teasley took a pass on the right wing, drove the lane, scooped in a layup and was fouled by State forward Amy Simpson.

Teasley let loose the scream in front of her team's bench, then calmly stepped to the free-throw line and knocked down the shot, giving North Carolina a 69-58 lead.

The 3-point play effectively ended State's chances at a comeback and Teasley, who scored 15 of her 23 points in the second half, said she was overcome with the emotion that came with UNC's 80-71 win, its first in Reynolds since 1994.

"This is my senior year, and I've never won in this gym before," Teasley said. "I'm very pleased with this win."

The game was almost an exact opposite of the first meeting on Jan. 10 in the Smith Center, which State won 66-63.

In that game, State center Kaayla Chones scored 26 points and collected 16 rebounds as the Wolfpack's front line scored 57 of State's 66 points and dominated on the glass.

On Sunday, however, UNC started the game on a 9-0 run and never trailed. North Carolina's front line out-rebounded State and gave up only 30 points to the Wolfpack's post players. Chones was held to four points and four rebounds.

Simpson, who scored 16 points, said the Tar Heels' initial run was vital because it took the Wolfpack and its crowd of 9,146, out of the game.

"When we were at Carolina, it didn't matter if we were down or up, we stayed in that game," she said. "Today, the momentum shifted to Carolina."

UNC didn't always have the momentum. Trailing 51-42 with 13:27 to play, N.C. State went on an 11-4 run to get within two, 55-53, at the 8:24 mark.

Rachel Stockdale, who led State with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, sparked the rally with a 3 from the top of the key.

But Teasley responded with 3s on back-to-back possessions, giving UNC a five-point advantage.

"She was really feeling it," said N.C. State coach Kay Yow. "You could tell she was very confident and was going to put it up if she had the chance."

Teasley and Coretta Brown consistently played State-stopper. Brown scored 15 of her 23 points in the first half, while Teasley saved her dramatics for the second 20 minutes. The two combined to shoot 11 of 27, including 9 of 20 from 3-point range.

UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said Teasley's leadership and clutch shooting calmed her team when it needed it most.

"Every time State would make a run at us, Nikki would settle us down," she said. And every time we had a timeout she said, 'Coach, don't worry about it, I got it.'"

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