Solid Backcourt Play Paces Tar Heels in Loss

With just less than six minutes to go in Monday's game against Duke, North Carolina shooting guard Coretta Brown dished to teammate Kenya McBee, who made a short jumper to give the Tar Heels a 54-49 lead.

On the ensuing possession for Duke, UNC point guard Leah Metcalf stole the ball and outleted to Nikita Bell, who converted the layup.

Such high-energy defense and offensive awareness by Brown and Metcalf paced UNC's bid to upset the top-ranked Blue Devils.

"It's a big game, so we had to step it up," Metcalf said. "I had to lead the team from the point guard position, set up the plays and everything."

The Tar Heels surrendered that seven-point lead and fell in overtime, perhaps partly because dehydration and stifling temperatures in a packed Carmichael Auditorium caused Brown's legs to cramp up, sending her to the sidelines with just less than five minutes to go in regulation.

"If Coretta could've stayed out there, even though she didn't shoot that well, I think that would've helped us out a little," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said.

Brown checked back in two minutes later, but would go back to the bench 30 seconds after that when the cramps returned.

"I knew I was going to be back, even if I had to get out there and crawl," Brown said.

Before battling cramps, Brown struggled to find her shot. She never did, finishing the game with five points on 2-of-10 shooting. But rather than keep firing up bricks, Brown began dishing the ball to her teammates (finishing with nine assists), and Metcalf filled the scoring void.

Metcalf enjoyed a bit more shooting success than Brown, especially from 3-point range, where she made 4 of 8 -- none bigger than her lone second-half 3.

Down three with 45.5 seconds on the clock, Hatchell called a timeout and drew a play designed to give Brown a chance at the game-tying trey.

When the Tar Heels tried to implement the play, it fell apart, and Brown never touched the ball.

With the shot clock winding down, Metcalf threw up a prayer, and the ball banked off the backboard and in, tying the score at 61-61.

As Bell put her hands on her head in disbelief, Brown acted like she knew it was coming.

"Leah, she makes shots like those, believe it or not," Brown said. "When it went in, I wasn't really surprised."

Metcalf finished the game with a team-high 18 points, dishing out five assists and grabbing four rebounds.

Despite their best efforts, Brown and Metcalf came up short in leading the Tar Heels to their first win against the Blue Devils in their respective careers.

But their opposing coach, Duke's Gail Goestenkors, had nothing but praise for the UNC backcourt.

"They're both complete players, so it makes it very difficult to defend them," she said. "You're defending the 3, they go by you. If you're trying to stop the penetration, they can hit the 3. It's one of the best backcourts in the country."

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