Georgia Tech deals UNC women's basketball third straight loss

Latifah Coleman laid the ball in the basket.

Down one, 36 seconds left.

Next possession, on the other side of the paint, the junior point guard found the ball’s way in again. The whistled sounded — and-one. But the free throw? Clank.

Two possessions later, Coleman raced down the court, coast-to-coast and heard a familiar sound. She was fouled again with just six seconds left.

Only this time, with her team down two, she needed both.

Her first shot went up, and after hitting the rim, fell to the hardwood.

A foul and seconds later, and the buzzer sounded. The North Carolina women’s basketball team then walked off the court with a 94-91 heartbreaking loss to Georgia Tech.

“We just,” said associate head coach Andrew Calder before pausing. “I gotta do better. I gotta do better coaching.”

Heading into the game, the stage had been set.

Last week, UNC (17-6, 5-4 ACC) reached its highest rank of the season — No. 6 — before falling in back-to-back games at home to unranked opponents. But the new week brought a matchup freshman guards Allisha Gray and Diamond DeShields have been awaiting.

The Tar Heels hit the road to take on Georgia Tech — nearly 130 miles from Gray’s home in Sandersville, Ga., and just 20 miles from Deshields’ in Norcross.

From the beginning of the night, the Georgian tandem played like it had something to prove, like it knew there’s no better place to gain redemption than home.

Each of UNC’s first made baskets came from either No. 15 or No. 23.

“It’s definitely an energizer.” DeShields said. “I saw a lot of my friends and family before the game started, and it made me feel a lot more comfortable being out there. A little more anxious to play.

“It was a good feeling and good environment, and I know for us both when they called our names in the starting lineup, we got a big applause. That felt great.”

If there’s one thing that wasn’t friendly to both Gray and DeShields Thursday, it was the referees’ whistles.

Gray was forced to sit out the last 4:55 of the first half after pickup up her third foul. After halftime, the roles were reversed, as DeShields went to the bench with her fourth foul and 11:53 left on the clock.

With UNC’s leading scorer on the sideline, the Yellow Jackets took advantage, piecing together a 16-5 run before Calder directed DeShields to check in, likely earlier than he would’ve liked, with just fewer than eight minutes left in the game.

Nearly five minutes later, DeShields made her way back to the bench — out of the game with five fouls and her team down seven.

But while their leader, who finished the night with a game-high 22 points, was on the bench, the Tar Heels somehow found a way to stay in the game.

There was Gray and junior guard Danielle Butts, who each tallied 20 points, and Coleman, whose aggressive play kept hopes high.

But as the ball sailed over the basket after she threw up a desperation half-court heave with fewer than a second left, Coleman couldn’t help but hang her head.

sports@dailytarheel.com