North Carolina women's basketball team's balance helps with win

Different parts of the No. 15 North Carolina women’s basketball team struggled in the first and second half of Friday’s game against North Florida. But the other Tar Heels were always there to pick up the slack.

UNC’s forwards built a lead in the first half despite sloppy guard play. Then, when the forwards struggled in the second half, the guards put the game out of reach. The Tar Heels beat the Ospreys 110-41.

UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said the team’s all-around strength helped overcome the guards’ lackluster first half and the forwards’ second-half scoring troubles.

“We have a good balance,” Hatchell said. “We started out missing shots that we’ve been making in practice and in the exhibition game. We missed a lot early on, but the balance was really good, and that’s a strong point for this team.”

The Tar Heels led 46-19 at halftime behind strong efforts by senior forward Jessica Breland and junior forward/center Chay Shegog.

Breland had eight points and 10 rebounds in the period, her first regular-season action after missing all of last season being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Shegog had eight points, 11 rebounds and two assists at the half.

After halftime, UNC struggled to score in the interior. But led by senior Italee Lucas, the team’s guards caught fire, scoring 50 of the Tar Heels’ 64 second-half points. And after connecting on only three of 10 three-pointers in the first half, they shot 10 of 13 from behind the arc in the second.

Lucas said communication was key for the guards in turning their play around.

“We were struggling, and we picked it up,” Lucas said. “Coach got on us a little bit in the first half when our intensity wasn’t quite there. We were out there getting on each other trying to pick it back up, trying to do the little things because we knew our shots weren’t falling.”

Hatchell said that in the second half she was both impressed by the guards’ outside shooting and disappointed by the forwards’ inside play.

“We shot the ball really good in the second half, except for layups,” Hatchell said. “We actually shot better from three than we did layups. We’ve got to finish off and make those layups around the basket.”

Breland’s return had its ups and downs. After her strong first half, the senior was held scoreless and had just one rebound in the second.

Breland said she needed to do better after recording a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in an exhibition match against Carson-Newman last week. But she said the level of competition was as high in the scrimmage as in the regular season.

“It was the same,” she said. “It was just one of those days. I had a great practice yesterday, and I just couldn’t find a rhythm. Sometimes I was there, sometimes a second behind.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.