Soaring UNC Dispatches Tigers, Awaits Blue Devils

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Candace Sutton scored 15 points, including eight during a decisive second-half run, as No. 8 North Carolina won its 12th straight with a 77-55 victory against Clemson on Thursday night.

The Tar Heels (15-1, 5-0 ACC) continued their best start since going 17-1 during the 1999-2000 season. Now, they can focus squarely on their most important game of the season so far -- a showdown with No. 1 Duke on Monday.

The Tar Heels, though, might not have made it past the Lady Tigers (10-5, 2-2) without Sutton, the 6-foot-6 junior who's fourth in the ACC in field-goal percentage.

Clemson had rallied from an 11-point deficit to lead 41-40 with 13:31 to go when Sutton began to shine.

She followed La'Tangela Atkinson's missed 3-pointer with an inside basket, then converted two straight shots down low to stretch North Carolina's lead to 49-41. By the time Sutton made a foul shot at the 8:35 mark, the Tar Heels were up 55-43 and pulling away.

Sutton finished a three-point play with 3:03 remaining and UNC up 67-49.

The Tar Heels outscored Clemson 37-14 in the last 13 minutes. Leah Metcalf had a season-high 21 points to lead North Carolina.

Atkinson added 11 points. Sutton added seven rebounds.

Chrissy Floyd, who came in averaging 17.5 points for Clemson, was held to 11 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

Track and Field Head to Virginia

The North Carolina men's and women's track and field teams head to the Rector Fieldhouse today for the 18-team Virginia Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va.

The Tar Heels join combined squads from Duke, N.C. State, Virginia and Wake Forest as well as the Clemson women's team to represent the ACC at the meet.

George Mason, James Madison, Virginia Tech and South Carolina are among the other schools participating.

After their first meet of the season, six Tar Heels on the men's side of competition lead the ACC in their respective events. Junior Daniel Harris and senior Adam Shunk are the top-ranked athletes in the triple jump and high jump, respectively. Others sitting atop the conference rankings include sophomore Vikas Gowda (shot put), sophomore Brian McGovern (3,000-meter run), junior Andrew Craycraft (800-meter dash) and sophomore Kevin Watson (60-meter hurdles).

On the women's side, sophomore Laura Gerraughty headlines a list of four Tar Heels to lead the ACC. Gerraughty set a pair of school records last weekend in the shot put and the weight throw and leads the conference in each event. Sophomore Erin Donohue (800-meter), sophomore Tatyana Kirichenko (high jump) and senior Lashawn Gee (long jump) also lead the conference for UNC.

Also competing for the first time this season will be the rest of North Carolina's top distance runners on the women's side. Junior Shalane Flanagan, the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Champion, will be among the athletes in the field this week.

Seniors Prepare for Bowl Games

North Carolina wide receiver Sam Aiken and tight end Zach Hilton have each accepted an invitation to play in a bowl game.

Aiken will play in the 2003 Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 22 at Ladd-Peeples Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The Senior Bowl is football's premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the country's best senior collegiate football players and top NFL draft prospects.

Aiken, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior from Kenansville, N.C., finished his UNC career setting school records in receptions and receiving yards as a senior with 68 catches for 990 yards. He led the ACC in receptions per game in 2002 and was the team's leading receiver in 2001 and 2002. He finished his career with 15 touchdowns, the third-highest total in school history.

Hilton was invited to play in the 2003 Hula Bowl on Feb. 1 in Maui.

A 6-7, 276-pound senior from Silver Spring, Md., Hilton had 31 receptions for 346 yards and two touchdowns for UNC.

The 2003 Hula Bowl will be played on Saturday, Feb. 1 at War Memorial Stadium in Kahului on the island of Maui. Hilton will play on the "Aina" (Hawaiian for 'Land') Team that will be coached by Miami's Larry Coker.

Both Aiken and Hilton have draft aspirations. The 2003 NFL Draft is April 26-27 at The Theatre in Madison Square Garden in New York City.