No 3’s, no worries for UNC women's basketball

Early into the first half of the North Carolina women’s basketball team’s game with Wingate Monday, senior Latifah Coleman zipped a cross-court pass to senior Brittany Rountree for an open 3-pointer. Swish.

But Rountree’s next 3-point attempt? Clank, off the rim. Sophomore Allisha Gray’s first shot from behind the arc? Bounced around and spun out.

Despite No. 13 UNC’s 92-50 victory, 3-point shooting once again proved to be an adventure for the Tar Heels.

In the first exhibition game against Carson-Newman, the Tar Heels only managed to shoot 11.8 percent from 3-point range. Against Wingate, there was little improvement. UNC shot only 27.8 percent from behind the arc with a couple of forgettable air balls mixed in.

But Coach Sylvia Hatchell knows her team can shoot; she sees it all the time in practice.

“In practice, we’ve been shooting the lights out. Both (Jamie Cherry and Gray) are great 3-point shooters,” Hatchell said. “(Cherry) led the state of North Carolina, and (Gray) led Georgia — actually led the country. Megan (Buckland) can shoot, and so can Jessica (Washington). We’ve got a lot of really good 3-point shooters.”

In the 2013-14 season, the Tar Heels shot 32 percent from behind the 3-point line. As a freshman, Gray finished second on the team in 3-point percentage at 41.8 percent. But against Wingate, she went 0-for-6.

But Gray wasn’t discouraged by her off night. She knows the responsibilities of a shooter.

“You have to keep your confidence up. That’s what shooters do,” Gray said. “If you miss one or two shots, you have a mindset that you’re going to make the next one. You can’t be hesitant. If coach tells you to shoot the ball, you better shoot it.”

Unlike most of her teammates, Cherry enjoyed a successful night shooting from deep. She went 2-for-3 from behind the arc and ended up with 12 points.

But the forgettable 0-for-4 shooting performance against Carson-Newman still lingers in her mind. So for Cherry, consistency is the goal.

“I see myself as a streaky shooter — I have my days,” Cherry said. “Against Carson-Newman, I had one of my off days, but tonight I came out hitting a great amount of shots. So it’s basically about getting up shots and getting better to be a more consistent 3-point shooter.”

Going forward, Hatchell said she is not worried about her players’ shooting performance. If the opposing defense gives them opportunities, Hatchell believes they’ll capitalize.

“I think a lot of it is that no one is playing zone, so most of our scoring is coming from fast breaks and off drives,” Hatchell said. “But teams know we have a lot of great 3-point shooters.”

“So I think when we need it, you’re going to see it.”

sports@dailytarheel.com