After skidding its way into a three-game losing streak, the North Carolina women’s basketball team finally mashed the brakes against Florida State, winning 71-66 in Tallahassee.
Four UNC players finished in double digits, including Laura Broomfield who scored a team-high 17 points.
“I think lately I’ve been trying to work on being a little more patient offensively and come together for my team because I know Chay (Shegog) needs some help down there,” Broomfield said. “I’ve just been trying to hustle every game and be patient on offense.”
Determined to get out of the gate on the right foot, UNC started the game on an 8-1 run and only lost the lead once.
She’la White led the first half offensive charge, draining four of her five attempts from beyond the arc.
“It’s what we need. Guard play has hurt us in the last few games,” coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “But we improved on turnovers so that was really good. Guard play was much better tonight and that was a big thing.”
Though UNC had a strong first half, it was unable to duplicate the offensive fire in the second half. The Tar Heels were outscored 37-29 after the break and hit only one 3-point shot.
UNC might not have been able to bring the same offensive fire after the break, but the Tar Heels were aggressive on the defensive end.
In a nearly 10-minute stretch in the second half, Florida State hit just one field goal. But the Seminoles did not let that keep them from putting points on the board. In that 10-minute time, FSU converted 14 points from the charity stripe.