North Carolina forward Kenya McBee jumped into the air and swatted away a long jump shot from Virginia’s Brenna McGuire with less than four minutes remaining in Thursday’s game.
Though the Tar Heels had a comfortable lead, the UNC senior still played with the same defensive intensity the Tar Heels had possessed all game.
That defense propelled No. 8 North Carolina to a blowout of the Cavaliers on Thursday. The Tar Heels now hope to use the same physical defense to defeat No. 2 Duke at 8 p.m. Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“I think every game helps us prepare (for Duke), not just (Thursday),” said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell. “Virginia is very athletic, and they go to the boards hard.”
Duke now sits atop the ACC, while North Carolina is in second place. The two teams will be battling for the top seed in the ACC tournament.
Earlier in the season, the Tar Heels got the best of the Blue Devils, narrowly defeating them 56-51 in the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels will need to step up their defense on Duke star Monique Currie if they hope to grab a second upset. Currie scored 24 points against UNC on Jan. 24.
But Hatchell said she thinks her team will be better prepared to face Currie again after holding one of Virginia’s leading scorers, LaTonya Blue, to seven points Thursday. Blue had been averaging 12.5 points per game.
“Blue is a great player, and she’s really tough to guard out there,” Hatchell said. “She’s a player a lot like Currie. I think a lot of things that Virginia did tonight will help us, not just with Sunday, but with every game.”
