Intense shooting practice pays off for Tar Heels in 4-1 win over William & Mary

Despite coach Anson Dorrance’s persistence, Crystal Dunn declined to showcase her break-dancing skills in Saturday’s post-game press conference.

But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have reason to celebrate.

Following North Carolina’s first-round NCAA tournament win against William and Mary, the Tar Heels were unmistakably — and understandably — giddy.

After all, they had just turned in one of their finest offensive performances of the season, earning a gratifying return on a grueling, two-week physical investment.

“I think the focus in practice the last couple weeks, in all aspects of training but especially in our finishing, has been significant,” Dorrance said.

“We threw in additional penalties for every time you missed the frame: You had to do two pushups in any shooting drill. If you shot it into a defender, you had to do two sit-ups … so either we were going to start scoring more, or we would have wonderful abs and magnificently strong chests.”

If the Tar Heels had played under those same rules on Saturday, there would have been few players doing pushups on the sidelines.

In fact, the team showed improvement on its very first shot, as junior Alyssa Rich sent a ball rocketing for the corner in the 10th minute.

The goal was the first of Rich’s season, as she’s battled back from various ailments throughout the past year.

“I have been on a huge drought,” Rich said. “So it was kind of like, ‘OK, I’ve scored. Let’s get this on. I’m ready to score more.’”

For the Tar Heels, the early goal was a harbinger of what was to come. The team went on to score three more goals in the 4-1 win after scoring only three in its last six games combined.

And the team also demonstrated improved accuracy.

After directing only two of 18 shots toward goal in their last game against Florida State, the Tar Heels’ first six shots were all on frame Saturday. And overall, the team finished with 12 of its 19 shots on the mark.

Dorrance attributed the turnaround to the team’s eagerness to work hard during shooting drills.

Dunn agreed.

“With the penalties, it definitely put us on our edge, but it was a good edge for us,” Dunn said. “If that’s what it takes for us to get better at shooting and finishing, I mean, we’re all for it.”

But while the Tar Heels took the challenge to improve seriously, they didn’t shy away from having fun.

“One of the finest moments in practice all year was when Crystal’s team had just won one of the shooting competitions, and she did some sort of break-dancing that I promise you was professional level,” Dorrance said.

“I mean, she was spinning around like a freaking beetle on her back. It was incredibly entertaining. The whole team cracked up.”

That light spirit certainly seemed to carry through to Saturday’s game.

And fortunately for the Tar Heels, so did the gains they made in practice.

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