Speed carries Tar Heels on the break

The second half of North Carolina's thrashing of Charleston Southern looked more like a foot race than a basketball game.

The Tar Heels used their speed and athleticism off the fast break to outscore the Buccaneers 48-13 after halftime.

Coach Sylvia Hatchell said her team takes advantage of games against weak teams to work on improving its speed and controlling the pace of the game.

"(We focus on) intensity ... pushing it up the floor, keeping the tempo, and then running what we want to and getting the right looks and the right shots," Hatchell said.

And No. 5 UNC did just that Tuesday night.

After the Tar Heels lacked intensity at the start, they opened up a 20-point lead before the half and came out with even more fire after the break.

In the opening moments of the second half, Nikita Bell broke away from the Buccaneer defense and set herself up under the post. She took a long pass from the far end and drove inside to draw a foul.

UNC did not look back from that moment as the team racked up a 29-1 run through the first 12 minutes of the half. The Tar Heels used 12 different players during the stretch.

"I was using the bench and trying to keep them up-tempo," Hatchell said. "It was good for our conditioning."

The Tar Heels were able to set up and capitalize on the fast break because of a strong defensive effort.

The team totaled 31 defensive rebounds and forced 28 turnovers in the game. UNC recorded 16 steals to enable the run and fire up quick buckets.

"They create a lot of stuff off their defense," said Bucs coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton.

Junior guard La'Tangela Atkinson led UNC with six defensive rebounds. She showed intense hustle whenever she was on the floor and finished with eight points.

With nine minutes to go in the game, Atkinson grabbed a steal on the Bucs end and sped down a wide open court. Atkinson put in a layup from the post on the fast break to extend UNC's lead to 56-21.

The Bucs simply could not match the Tar Heels in the leg race as Atkinson, along with Ivory Latta and Camille Little, literally ran them down for 40 minutes.

"Carolina's strength, their endurance, their quickness really just took over in the second half," Yelton said. "I think at that point, our kids were pretty much spent. ... We just couldn't match that sort of intensity, physically or mentally, at that point."

Part of the reason UNC is physically conditioned is that Hatchell requires all her players to run the mile in a target time. This season, all but one Tar Heel made the goal.

"They fast break with the best," Yelton said. "You look at their athleticism, their knowledge of the game, how they play together. I think their chemistry is very good right now."

And that chemistry and speed could be just what UNC needs to continue its 3-0 start as it heads to Las Vegas to face No. 24 Villanova on Saturday.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.