Boiling point

CHATTANOOGA Tenn. — Twice Purdue's seniors had met the end of their seasons at North Carolina's hands.

Monday" the Boilermakers' upperclassmen returned the favor — and the Tar Heels were the ones swallowing a difficult defeat.

""It's a great win in my senior year — after so many times" it was our turn Purdue's Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton said.

In the second half we were able to knock down our shots" and that was it.""

UNC mastered its turnover demons and had a plus-seven advantage. The Tar Heels were superior on the offensive glass" gathering 21 to Purdue's five.

UNC won the battle of points in the paint by 40 to 22 but none of it was enough to earn a win and survive in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 6 Boilermakers (24-10) broke out of a tie at halftime and controlled the second half" winning 85-70.

""On the stat sheet" I look at those and … I'm thinking" ‘How did we lose this game?'"" coach Sylvia Hatchell said.

Despite controlling the categories that had been their weaknesses all season long" the No. 3 Tar Heels (28-7) had no answer for Purdue's shooting. The Boilermakers used an 11-2 run midway through the second half to take a grip on the lead.

With 5:13 to play Cetera DeGraffenreid cut the lead to six on a pair of free throws" but Purdue answered with a four-point play by Brittany Rayburn that signaled the end for the Tar Heels.

""Our defense" it just wasn't there" said sophomore guard Italee Lucas, who led the Tar Heels with 21 points.

The Boilermakers shot nearly 70 percent from the floor in the second half, also going 19-for-21 from the foul line, which left UNC struggling to keep up.

Despite Lucas' hot hand, the lead never narrowed down to single digits in the closing minutes.

The three seniors and two juniors in Purdue's starting lineup knew what to expect from the Tar Heels. Besides NCAA defeats to UNC in 2006 and 2007, they also lost in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge last season.

They benefited from knowing how to play against UNC's fast-paced tempo, and all three of Purdue's starting seniors reached double digits.

We just needed to slow down" get composed and run through our offense and execute" Wisdom-Hylton said of her team's halftime talk while the game was tied 30-30.

For senior Rashanda McCants, the ending was a frustrating one. The Tar Heels' leading scorer put up 28 the last time she faced off against this squad, but she was hampered by foul trouble and never looked in rhythm.

Disappointed"" McCants said of her demeanor after the game. Too many emotions going through my mind to think about it. I feel like I lost the game for my team.""

The senior forward — who wrote a reminder on her shoe before the game that this could be her last chance — put up only six points on 3-of-15 shooting.

She had been optimistic about making one last run to the Final Four at the same site of her brother Rashad's 2005 championship with the men's team"" calling it ""destiny.""

Instead"" she was left only with words for her teammates returning next year.

""Work harder than ever coming into the season"" McCants said.

'Cause it's over quicker than you think.""



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.