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(04/28/06 4:00am)
BOSTON, April 3 - Maryland was breaking its huddles quickly.
The players were exuding confidence on the court.
Their faces bore smiles and excitement. Their pressure defense was frustrating, swarming around the post and forcing North Carolina to depend on its outside shooting.
In short, the Terps out-Tar Heeled the Tar Heels, controlling the game most of the way and emerging from the TD Banknorth Garden with an 81-70 win against top-seeded and top-ranked UNC on April 2.
Maryland (33-4) advanced to win the title game for the first time - North Carolina (33-2) headed home short of reaching its goal of a national title.
"At times, they were having a little bit more fun," said UNC forward Erlana Larkins. "They just had a lot of heart."
The Terps outfoxed the Tar Heels in several areas, not the least of which was point guard play.
UNC star Ivory Latta struggled throughout the game, a performance the junior attributed largely to a knee injury suffered midway through the first half. Latta missed two minutes and struggled tremendously to find her shooting range during the contest.
After hitting her first 3-point attempt, Latta missed her final nine - with the team as a whole shooting 4-for-23 from behind the arc. Latta finished with 14 points, only the second time in the last 16 games she has failed to score at least 15.
"I just wanted to keep her in front, make her take difficult shots, shots she's not used to taking," said Maryland's Kristi Toliver, who primarily guarded Latta.
Toliver - Maryland's counterpart to Latta - struggled with ball control (12 turnovers) but found her range from the field in the second half. After two Jessica Sell 3-pointers gave the Tar Heels a 42-40 lead early in the half, the Terps went on a 23-10 run - culminated by a Toliver 3.
And when the Tar Heels made a counter run, cutting the Terrapin lead to three with two minutes left, Maryland made a defensive stand.
An entry pass to Larkins, who finished with a game-high 28 points, put the UNC forward in perfect position to score. But her short shot was off, and Maryland's Marissa Coleman nabbed the rebound.
"A game-changing play is what I'm going to call it," Larkins said. "That was a for-sure basket in my opinion. I knew I was going to make it. And then all of a sudden Marissa comes out of nowhere, and I'm like, 'Here it goes again.'
"I kind of got a little nervous, but I think I still should have been able to make that shot."
Maryland scored on all of its remaining possessions and never gave UNC another opportunity to draw even.
"They get the ball out of the trap and make the extra pass," said North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell. "They were getting some things out of that."
Earlier in the game, the Tar Heels had backed off their notorious 1-3-1 defensive traps because of Maryland's barrage of trap-beating layups.
"People kept talking about the 1-3-1. We're like, 'We know,'" Toliver said. "We played against it twice already. It's a good defense, but I wasn't really impressed just because we've learned how to attack."
The Terrapins dominated the glass after the Tar Heels out-boarded them 48-37 in the ACC title game - a game UNC won 91-80. Maryland also corralled more rebounds in the Terps' 98-95 overtime win against UNC on Feb. 9 - the only regular-season loss for the Tar Heels.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/19/06 4:00am)
As Sean May corralled Luther Head's miss, primal screams erupted on all sides of the TV. More noise seeped in from the neighboring apartment. Outside, the yelling drifted toward Franklin Street for the celebratory festivities.
I calmly observed this mayhem. I ignored the calls from nuclear- and extended-family members offering congratulations. I walked up to Franklin Street, acting like a street-side spectator instead of a red-clad participant at the Running of the Bulls.
My friends and relatives failed to understand my situation. Because of my job with The Daily Tar Heel, I had trained myself to be impartial.
But why, they more than likely wondered, would a tortured sports fan from Philadelphia sit calmly after his school just provided everything he's always dreamed of - a national title?
Regardless the sacrifices, I wouldn't have traded my four years at the DTH for anything.
Admittedly, my journalistic journey relegated my $5 powder-blue fan shirt to the back of the closet since my freshman year. Often, in fact, I'd elect to watch a UNC basketball game on TV rather than draw confused gazes from students looking for vocal support from my section.
The easiest reasons for people to comprehend why I chose to relinquish my fandom are the press passes.
Having the opportunity to interview players and coaches from nine varsity sports at UNC is an experience I will not forget. Neither are the games I have witnessed from courtside or the press box.
But an even greater reason why I spent scores of hours in the windowless sports-desk cubicle is the importance of the DTH's role in Chapel Hill, and beyond.
We cover the teams for readers who want more than Homerism. Besides, not all DTH readers subscribe to the region's professional papers, and sometimes we even have better information than our competitors.
Nonetheless, our objectivity often confuses readers who would prefer the paper to act as a propagandist extension of the athletic department. The letters that condemned our paper for printing information about the recent arrest of Danny Green's father took this point of view.
Those who prefer such an approach, however, easily can achieve their desired Tar Heel fix by talking to a student in the Pit or reading one of those infamous message board posts. It isn't hard to find someone bashing the refs or predicting a 10-win season for the football team next year.
It's our responsibility to give you the unbiased information. You decide to ingest it or ignore it.
And as for non-revenue sports, the DTH often is the only independent media outlet providing in-depth coverage.
I've had a blast covering volleyball and women's tennis, two sports that are sparsely attended on this campus (except when the promise of men's basketball tickets impels Carolina Fever members to pretend they care about Olympic sports).
The athletes on UNC's 26 non-revenue teams deserve impartial coverage. Who knows - maybe my writing encouraged a couple members of the University community to venture to Koury Natatorium or Henry Stadium. Just call it a naive sportswriter's dream.
If that actually happened, the hours I've spent writing in lieu of cheering easily have been worth it.
Next year, I'll probably be back to pulling for Carolina.
But it won't be as enjoyable or important as writing for the DTH.
Contact Jacob Karabell at karabell@email.unc.edu.
(03/31/06 5:00am)
La'Tangela Atkinson would not want this story to be about her. Typically, it wouldn't be.
A Final Four story might focus on a team star (Erlana Larkins, Ivory Latta, Camille Little).
It might focus on a role player that has taken her game to a different level in the postseason (LaToya Pringle).
It might focus on the pressure of a freshman playing significant minutes, whose older brother happens to be a notorious Tar Heel (Rashanda McCants).
But no matter how hard she tries - Atkinson crouched behind Pringle and McCants in the locker room after North Carolina's win against Tennessee on Tuesday - the senior cannot hide from public recognition any longer.
Named an honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press this week, Atkinson's athleticism, defense and rebounding have helped propel the Tar Heels to within an earshot of a national championship.
Those skills also have gathered attention from the WNBA, with Atkinson in position to be a first-round pick in Wednesday's draft.
Boarded up
She doesn't hide her less-than-outgoing disposition.
"Ivory's very talkative; we have Erlana," Atkinson says. "I don't feel like I really need to say much because they're pretty much on point about what they need to say about what's going on."
An introvert on a team bursting with extroverts, Atkinson has had a quiet demeanor as long as her mother can remember. Before this season, she often would give abrupt answers at postgame news conferences - sometimes as brief as "yes, sir."
Her on-court demeanor matched her reserve in front of the media.
"When I first came here, she was really quiet," says Pringle, now a sophomore. "She would voice herself after practice, maybe, but she wasn't as vocal as some of the other people were. She's more of a reserved, laid-back type person."
That changed - albeit not completely - when she became a senior and a team captain before this season. Still, unlike the other two captains - Larkins and Latta - Atkinson rarely will lead vocally during games.
When she does, her teammates listen. As the team faced its largest halftime deficit of the season, trailing by 13 at Duke, Atkinson gathered the players and reminded them that the game was not over. The Tar Heels won, 74-70.
Atkinson also spoke to the team prior to its first game in the NCAA Tournament, saying that she wanted to go out on top. So far, those words also have proven effective.
"She does not want the media attention, but yet she wants to win," says Coach Sylvia Hatchell. "I told her, 'Tangie, you're actually being selfish by being so unselfish,' because she always wants the limelight on other people. But yet she's such a great player and can do so much to help us win."
Versatile attack
She is best known for her rebounding prowess.
Given Hatchell's omnipresent emphasis on crashing the boards, it's little wonder that Atkinson, who led UNC in rebounding during her first three seasons in Chapel Hill, has started 117 of the 133 games in her college career.
Other facets of her game have proved crucial to the Tar Heels, however.
While she is not a scorer by nature, Atkinson's offense has flourished in several big games this season. She calmly hit two free throws to seal the comeback win at Duke. When Tennessee charged to within five in the second half Tuesday, she hit a crucial 3 from the corner to boost the lead back to eight - a rare shot by a player seemingly obsessed with unselfishness.
"She likes to get her team involved more than getting herself to shine," says her mother, Gloria McCloud. "She's all about involving everyone else and making them look good and getting the ball into them. Scoring - she could really care less."
Though she recently became the first player in ACC history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 350 assists, it is her defense that merits the most fear from opposing teams.
As the Tar Heels' primary stopper, she often draws the responsibility of guarding other teams' top weapon - such as Duke's Monique Currie or Tennessee's Candace Parker. Her defensive mentality also has influenced her teammates, similar to Nikita Bell a year ago.
"That's probably what I take most from her defense, how she gets after it and how she takes no prisoners," McCants says. "She just goes out there and plays hard every possession."
That hard-nosed defensive style has gone hand-in-hand with suffering injuries, including several concussions. In a game against Wake Forest last season, a Demon Deacon jumped on Atkinson - resulting in a giant knot on her forehead.
She practiced the next day and played three days later against Georgia Tech.
"To me, I don't have injuries," Atkinson says. "Whenever I get knocked down, yeah, my facial expression might show that I'm hurt, but it's a mental thing. And I just jump right up, and I don't even think about it."
Looking ahead
She started her college career with a bang.
Named the 2002-03 ACC Rookie of the Year after averaging almost 10 points and eight rebounds in her freshman season, it seemed that Atkinson might have the potential for stardom. After all, idolizing Michael Jordan is what attracted the Bishopville, S.C., native to play at North Carolina.
Now, with similar statistics three years later, Atkinson is often overlooked - the UNC coaches did not even nominate her for All-ACC candidacy. But the versatility that fans and reporters ignore has opened eyes in the WNBA.
"It was a dream since I was little," Atkinson says. "I've just tried to improve every year so I could be able to get to the league."
In fact, a recent prospect ranking on wnba.com rated Atkinson as the 13th best player eligible for the draft in the 14-team league.
"(I'll say to her that) in a couple months, you'll be in the WNBA," Latta says. "And she's like, 'I hope.'
"I'm like, 'Look, you've got to have confidence, girl. You've been doing it.' A lot of people say about her being a first-round pick - that's great. I'll be so happy for her."
Should Atkinson make a professional roster, she'll likely shrink from the leadership personality she's developed.
And she won't have to worry about the spotlight for a while.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/29/06 5:00am)
CLEVELAND - With five minutes remaining in Tuesday's regional final against Tennessee, Ivory Latta had 11 points. Erlana Larkins had three.
Yet, North Carolina never trailed in the game and led by eight points at the time - with the non-stars putting Larkins and Latta in position to take control in the closing minutes to push the Tar Heels to their second-ever Final Four.
That balance started with senior Jessica Sell. Despite the fact that she averages less than three points per game, she cleanly drained a 3-pointer on a pass from Larkins on UNC's first possession.
UNC still had a 3-point lead when sophomore LaToya Pringle entered the game after the first media timeout. The 6-foot-3 forward made her presence felt in the post quickly, hitting a short jumper in the paint.
"(A lot of times) I had a smaller girl on me, like they were switching screens so I would have (Shanna) Zolman on me or (Sidney) Spencer," said Pringle, who scored all of her eight points in the first half.
"My teammates just gave me the ball, and I just tried to do something with it."
She also put in valuable minutes guarding Tennessee forward Candace Parker, part of the reason that the freshman phenom scored just 20 points after depositing 29 against Rutgers in the Sweet 16.
"I was on her at the end, and I think I did a pretty good job," Pringle said. "I blocked her a couple times - I like doing that."
The Tar Heels also liked the long-distance contributions from players not named Latta after shooting a collective 1-for-11 from behind the arc against Purdue in the regional semifinal Sunday.
Rashanda McCants drained a 3 in the first half and Alex Miller hit an open 3 in the second half that brought the Tar Heel lead back to 12 as the Lady Vols seemed to be gaining momentum.
And when a turnaround jumper by Parker brought Tennessee within five late in the game - bringing the orange-clad crowd to its feet - Larkins passed the ball to a wide-open La'Tangela Atkinson in the corner. After holding the ball for about two seconds, Atkinson's teardrop shot found its way through the net.
"Lately, I've been hesitating with my shot, and I've been thinking too much," she said. "I just released that one. It felt good - so it went in."
When the game remained tight, though, the Larkins-Latta duo came to life, scoring 13 points in the final five minutes. UT would not come closer than six the rest of the way, setting the stage for UNC's midcourt celebration, pierced by screams of "Boston!" at the crowd.
"If they play like they play tonight, it will be hard for this team to lose," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/28/06 5:00am)
CLEVELAND - A circle of cameras and media already had gathered around the chair reserved for Ivory Latta minutes before the UNC guard's scheduled media appearance at the Quicken Loans Arena on Monday.
An hour later, the media camped out again at the same chair - this time waiting for Tennessee redshirt freshman Candace Parker.
Both of the teams' leading scorers present significant challenges for defenders, and whichever squad better contains the opposing team's star tonight likely will advance to the Final Four in Boston.
Everyone has heard about Parker's dunking abilities, but a bigger topic of debate concerning Parker might be her position. The scorer's card before the Lady Vols' game against Rutgers on Sunday listed the freshman as a guard/forward/center - and she fulfills responsibilities for all three of those positions.
She often plays point guard, bringing the ball up the court to help the Lady Vols break pressure defenses.
She backs down opposing forwards in the lane, utilizing her 6-foot-4 frame and post moves to create her shot.
And Parker the center leads Tennessee in rebounding, averaging more than eight boards per game.
"She's just a great player," said North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell. "We're going to give her different looks. We may put two or three people on her at one time, it depends."
UNC senior La'Tangela Atkinson said she will start out on Parker, although a combination of athletic players - including Camille Little and Erlana Larkins - could draw the assignment at times.
"We've faced a number of teams this year that are athletic," Parker said. "In order for us to match up with an athletic team, (we have) to play to our strengths . switching up defenses and coming at them with different lineups and looks."
The task of defending Parker has become even more arduous with her rise as an elite player. After missing last season recovering from ACL surgery, she has gradually increased her scoring output this year - totaling a career-high 34 points against Florida in February and 29 against Rutgers in the Sweet 16.
And in the beginning of the second half against the Scarlet Knights, Parker scored Tennessee's first eight points on a combination of jump shots and free throws to help the Lady Vols distance themselves from their upset-minded foe.
"If there's double and triple teams, she does a good job of finding the open player," said Tennessee center Tye'sha Fluker.
"She's awesome down there in the post. She has good moves, and she knows how to create space to get her shot off."
Yet the Tar Heels have effectively handled opposing teams' top scorers this season. After 13 players scored 20 or more points against UNC last year, just six players have reached that total this season - with three of those performances coming in overtime games.
An appropriate comparison to Parker for UNC might be Duke's Monique Currie, a national player-of-the-year candidate that the Tar Heels held to 13 points both times the teams met.
Currie, though not as tall as Parker, also can create her shot and causes a difficult matchup because of her combination of quickness and size. And while Atkinson never has faced Parker, she has faced Currie eight times in her four-year career.
"They're similar players," Atkinson said. "Monique is Duke's go-to player. When they need something to happen, they go to Monique.
"And (the Lady Vols) have Shanna Zolman and Candace Parker - both are great players. I'm just going to do the same thing I've done all season with my defense."
Latta, in contrast to Parker, creates problems for defenders primarily with her shooting ability and dribble penetration. She leads the Tar Heels with an average of 18.5 points and 5.1 assists per game.
Tennessee expects to start the game guarding Latta with Nicky Anosike, a 6-4 forward who has the quickness to stay with perimeter players.
Anosike drew the difficult assignment of guarding Rutgers guard Cappie Pondexter on Sunday, though she found herself in foul trouble and played just 24 minutes.
"(Latta) has a quickness advantage over me, obviously," Anosike said. "But I have the height advantage over her. What it's going to come down to is whose advantage is greater."
Latta struggled with her shot in North Carolina's win against Purdue on Sunday, shooting 5-for-15 from the floor and not making a 3-pointer for the first time in 61 games.
But she made the game-winning layup with 2.8 seconds to play before collapsing to the court with a calf cramp - an injury that Latta vows will not affect her tonight.
And with a healthy Latta going up against a healthy Parker, it's no wonder people are comparing tonight's matchup to a national championship game.
"Their games are quite different," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. "I think the ideal world is to have two players like that on your team.
"Wouldn't that be fun?"
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/27/06 5:00am)
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CLEVELAND - Sylvia Hatchell almost fainted.
With North Carolina tied with Purdue with 21 seconds remaining in the Sweet 16 showdown, Hatchell diagrammed a play - Ivory Latta curling off a ball screen at the top of the key and cutting toward the basket.
(03/24/06 5:00am)
North Carolina's starting lineup includes La'Tangela Atkinson, Erlana Larkins, Ivory Latta and Camille Little - all of whom likely will end up as first-round picks in one of the next three WNBA drafts.
Reserves Christina Dewitt, Rashanda McCants, Alex Miller and LaToya Pringle also have the potential to play at the professional level. In fact, they each average more minutes and points than the team's fifth starter.
Yet senior guard Jessica Sell, a 3-point specialist who averages just 2.5 points per game, has witnessed all but one tipoff on the court this season - with the flu as the only thing that kept her out of the lineup.
Barring another illness, Sell will start her 32nd game of the season Sunday when the top-seeded Tar Heels face No. 4 seed Purdue in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 in Cleveland.
"She earned the right to start because she's a senior, she's hung in there through all kinds of situations, and she's always been a great kid," said North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell. "Whatever the coaches wanted her to do, she couldn't do enough. And I just felt like, 'Hey, the kid deserves it.'"
Like many Division-I athletes, Sell starred in high school. Thirty points and 14 rebounds a game. State title runner-up. West Virginia Player of the Year.
With that r
(03/10/06 5:00am)
In the handful of days prior to the unveiling of the NCAA Tournament brackets, most basketball teams beg for the mercy of the selection committee.
Coaches and players relate a laundry list of reasons why their team should receive a high seed, all the while unsure of how the committee will adjudicate their postseason fate.
This year, the North Carolina women's basketball team is not among those squads.
With the fewest losses of any Division-I team, the top spot in the RPI and the ACC Tournament title, the Tar Heels are all but guaranteed a No. 1 seed - and probably the nation's overall top seed at that.
When the players gather to watch the unveiling of the brackets at 7 p.m. Monday, they will feel confident in their seeding. But where the Tar Heels will play remains in doubt.
As the nation's No. 1 team, the committee will place the Tar Heels at the nearest possible sites. For the first two rounds, the closest location is the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va.
The more controversial discussion entails the regional that UNC will be assigned if it were to advance to the Sweet 16.
One possibility is Bridgeport, Conn., at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard. The trouble is that destination could lead to a matchup with Connecticut in what essentially would amount to a road game.
"I wouldn't think they'd put the number one seed playing Connecticut there," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "That wouldn't be fair. . I think the committee will look at all that."
Yet, no rule precludes the committee from placing the Tar Heels in such a predicament, and committee members have said they will not manipulate the bracket to protect a top seed.
"When we've had UConn at Bridgeport we have had great attendance," said Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president for the Division-I Women's Basketball Championship. "We'll pay attention to attendance, but only at the end when we start putting teams at sites."
Regardless of their eventual regional destination - most likely Bridgeport or Cleveland - the players will enjoy a rare weekend off and reconvene at Hatchell's house for selection Monday.
After that, the team will return to practice in preparation for its first-round opponent.
"We have to bring it - there's no tomorrow," said senior Jessica Sell. "We just have to remember that and play every game like it's our last. Because if we don't, it very well might be."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/24/06 5:00am)
The Boston College point guard brings the ball up the court, with a 6-foot-4 center paralleling the ball-handler on the right side.
Between the two Eagles stands North Carolina forward Camille Little, advancing step-for-step with the point guard, her arms extended vertically in hope of deflecting a pass.
Although a cross-court pass manages to elude Little's grasp, Little and guard Jessica Sell swarm the opposing player - with Erlana Larkins rotating to the near wing in hopes of intercepting the Eagles' next pass.
It's no matter as the attempted throw flies out of bounds, a turnover on B.C.'s first possession of the game.
This Little-Sell trap epitomizes the 1-3-1 pressure defense that Coach Sylvia Hatchell first implemented before last season.
With fast guards to complement athletic post players, the Tar Heels frustrate opponents by creating wall-like traps and quickly morphing into man-to-man if the opponent happens to succeed in breaking the pressure.
"I just felt like I wanted to change my philosophy a little bit, wanted to do something a little different," says Hatchell, in her 20th season at North Carolina, of the defensive shake-up.
The responsibilities in the 1-3-1 start with the defender assigned to guard the ball-handler as she moves up the floor.
This player - usually Little, LaToya Pringle or Christina Dewitt - must force the ball to either the left or right side of the court while looking for a deflection.
The move usually works because these three forwards, all at least 6-foot-2, can keep pace with most point guards and boast the height necessary to snag passes.
"Usually, I'm thinking about what I can do to maybe make them turn the ball over," Little says. "Or I try to get the next pass, or try to figure out which pass they're going to make so I can anticipate it."
If the opposing player advances the ball beyond midcourt, Little and one of the guards immediately flock to her.
The two-player trap leaves the non-trapping guards to handle the perimeter while the UNC center - normally Larkins - defends the middle and looks to intercept passes to the corners.
Later in the first half, a Boston College player attempts to set a screen on Dewitt at the top of the key. Dewitt cuts in front of the screen to trap the ball-handler along with Ivory Latta.
But instead of the trap forcing a turnover, the ball-handler passes the ball to the open screener. When both Larkins and La'Tangela Atkinson try to compensate, the Eagles pass the ball to a now-wide-open jump shooter in the corner.
One swish later, it's three points for Boston College.
Any type of pressure defense is top-heavy, and beating it assures the offensive team of a numerical advantage closer to the basket.
And since the Tar Heels revert to a traditional man-to-man look once the trap is conquered, proper rotation and sprinting back from traps are needed to stymie opponents.
Unfortunately for the Tar Heels' foes, UNC has learned to recover effectively.
The team now stands at second in the ACC in fewest points allowed and third in field-goal percentage defense, both signs of improvement since an early-season practice when Assistant Head Coach Andrew Calder reportedly deemed the squad "the worst defensive team I've ever seen."
The Tar Heels have had many opportunities to work out such kinks, both in practices and during games.
In addition to the 1-3-1 midcourt traps after each made basket, they apply full-court pressure coming out of dead-ball stoppages. Tack on the quick traps on sideline-inbounds passes, and this defense provides countless chances to create turnovers.
"I'm just used to it," says Atkinson, a senior.
"It seems like (I am) just programmed to be aggressive on defense and have the traps and all of those things."
With the reward of turnovers, though, comes the risk of baskets - much like Boston College's wide-open 3-pointer.
"You never know what your opponents are going to do with the traps," Latta says.
"You have to be at the right place at the right time. If you miss one little second of one little step, it can cause somebody to get a free layup or a free 3."
Boston College already had turned the ball over in three of its first five possessions of the second half. On its sixth, the Eagles' point guard finds Little in her usual spot, waiting to set the 1-3-1 trap.
But instead of one of the side guards - Latta or Rashanda McCants - forming the trap, Atkinson leaves the top of the key to trap with Little. A frantic attempt at a pass sails to Pringle in the middle, who secures the ball.
While the basic setup remains the same, UNC has several quirks to its traps designed to further frustrate opponents.
And adjustments like this one, with the pressure point shifting to Atkinson in the middle, can combat torrid long-range shooting by limiting open looks from the sides.
"It looks like we're doing the same thing, but we're really not," Hatchell says.
"We've got about four things that we can do, depending on who's going to go trap and where we're going to allow the pass. . It keeps them off balance, and that's one of our objectives."
Opposing teams' have strived to solve the Tar Heel pressure, but few have been successful.
The most common practice tactic for simulating the Tar Heel traps pits seven men against the traditional five-person team, drills that Duke coach Gail Goestenkors utilized before both of the teams' regular-season matchups last season.
The Blue Devils still lost both games and committed a combined 48 turnovers.
On Monday Boston College experienced a similar fate in its first-ever game against UNC, turning the ball over 25 times in the 69-62 defeat.
"You get guys out there that are quick and strong, but they don't have the chemistry that these ladies have as far as their rotations and their athleticism," said Boston College coach Cathy Inglese after the game.
Thus far Hatchell's shift in philosophy has succeeded - after all, another reason she implemented this style of trapping was to win more games.
With 55 wins in the last two seasons, it's hard to argue with that logic.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/10/06 5:00am)
Since North Carolina topped Duke on Jan. 29 to earn the No. 1 ranking, Coach Sylvia Hatchell has consistently warned her team that it will be taking every team's best shot.
On Thursday, No. 6 Maryland gave UNC that effort late in the second half - sprinkled with some luck.
The Terps, who trailed by 13 with eight minutes to play, stormed back and received an answer to Ashleigh Newman's prayer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. In the extra session Maryland scored on its first four possessions and held on to stun the Tar Heels 98-95, dethroning the last of college basketball's unbeatens.
"I'll tell you - just a special win for this team," said Maryland coach Brenda Frese. "It's probably one of the proudest moments I've had as a coach to watch this team develop the way they have."
Trailing by four with 16 seconds left in the second half, Maryland (22-2, 9-1 in the ACC) forced the ball inside to star forward Crystal Langhorne, who deposited an easy layup to cut the deficit in half.
After a timeout, La'Tangela Atkinson inbounded the ball to Ivory Latta, who was quickly fouled.
Normally two easy points, the 88-percent foul shooter hit the first but clanged the second off the rim - the biggest of the Tar Heels' 14 missed free throws on the evening.
"If we had made some foul shots, it would have been a different game," Hatchell said.
The upset-minded Terps capitalized on their second chance, but barely. Shay Doron hit the back rim on her 3-point attempt, but the rebound rolled out to the perimeter. And midway between the 3-point arc and the half-court line, Newman threw up a shot that found the bottom of the net to tie the game, sending the entire Maryland team out to mob the sophomore at midcourt.
"I didn't even know how much time was on the clock," Newman said. "I didn't know if it was going, but I knew it was on line."
That momentum, along with the stunned Tar Heels (22-1, 9-1) and 6,417 spectators at Carmichael Auditorium, carried over into the extra session, dubbed "our time" by Doron due to the Terps' 3-0 record in the extra session this season.
With the Tar Heels trailing by six, Latta buried a 3-pointer to trim the Terps' lead in half with a minute to play. After Langhorne split a pair of free throws, Latta drained another 3 off the backboard with 27 seconds left.
But the third time was not the charm after two Kristi Toliver foul shots expanded the lead to three. On UNC's last possession, Camille Little misfired from long range, but the ball found its way back to the Tar Heel point guard.
She pump faked - and the defending Doron went with her - and fired up a shot well short of the rim. With Latta, the coaching staff and the boisterous crowd begging for a call, none came save for that of the victorious Maryland players.
"She pump faked - my hands were up, all ball hit my hand, and that was it," Doron said. "She initiated the contact. It was a no call."
Latta, who sat on the court after the buzzer sounded in disbelief, had a measured response to the media.
"I'm not too much going to comment if I get a whistle or not," Latta said.
Yet the Tar Heels endured playing crucial portions of Thursday's game without two of their key players.
Forward Erlana Larkins had a recurrence of the cramping problem that affected her against Florida State and Duke last season. She struggled to run the court in the final minutes of regulation and then did not play in overtime, leaving LaToya Pringle to deal with Maryland's formidable post players.
But while Larkins had recovered after the game, reserve guard Alex Miller had been taken to the hospital for neck X-rays after falling midway through the second half. The tests were negative, and she returned to the arena after the game to retrieve her belongings.
"It may have drained us a little bit," Hatchell said. "They were visibly shaken on the court."
It was with Miller out that Maryland's guards found their long-distance range. Marissa Coleman scored five points and Doron scored seven to combine on a 12-2 run that cut a 13-point lead to three.
From then, UNC clung to a slim lead until the Newman 3 sent the game to OT.
"This feels pretty good - I'm not going to lie," Doron said.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/30/06 5:00am)
To defeat on the road what many observers considered the best team in the country, a team needs a lot of things to go right.
Tack on a 16-point deficit at a raucous, sold-out Cameron Indoor Stadium and the margin for error shrinks infinitely close to zero. If everything goes right, that team might have a chance.
And for No. 3 North Carolina, just about everything seemed to go right in the second half. La'Tangela
Atkinson, Ivory Latta and Erlana Larkins were among those who turned in monumental performances as the Tar Heels stunned No. 2 Duke 74-70 Sunday night.
The win essentially guaranteed UNC (20-0, 7-0 in the ACC) the No. 1 ranking in the polls, as it emerged from Durham as the nation's lone undefeated team. And it was an oft-forgotten player - Atkinson - that propelled the Tar Heels in the game's final minute.
After Duke's Mistie Williams converted a layup to cut the UNC advantage to one with 44 seconds remaining, an entry pass to Larkins drew a Blue Devil double team. Larkins found Atkinson alone under the basket for a layup to restore a three-point lead.
Duke (20-1, 7-1) then went to its player-of-the-year candidate, Monique Currie, to tie the game. Currie misfired on her shot, but Williams secured the rebound and was fouled by Camille Little.
When Williams purposely missed her second free throw, it was Atkinson that cut in front of the shooter to grab the rebound. And after a Duke timeout, the senior calmly stepped to the free throw line and sank both shots to seal the game.
"I was just focused," Atkinson said. "I've been working on my free throw shot . and it came down to that - just me practicing and having that confidence."
Yet prior to the action-packed finish, it was the calming stewardship of Latta that helped UNC crawl back. After 12 turnovers in the first half, the Tar Heels only lost the ball twice in the second - and none in the final five minutes, even after Latta backed directly into a screen by Williams near midcourt.
Latta came away from the collision dazed and shaken, but apparently not shaken enough for Duke as the point guard managed to convert a driving layup with the shot clock expiring that gave UNC a 70-67 lead with a minute to play.
"They started playing a weave back and forth," said Duke guard Lindsey Harding, who guarded Latta for all of her 40 minutes of playing time. "That kind of freed up the lane a lot for them to penetrate. In the first half, I was denying (Latta) a lot. In the second half, she held onto the ball a little bit more."
And credit the unexpected long-range shooting of Larkins, who seldom shoots from farther than four feet from the basket, for bringing the Tar Heels back after trailing by 13 at halftime.
She hit two 3s at the start of the second half to trim the Duke lead to eight.
"I just had to get the confidence to shoot the shot, and for some reason I just shot it," Larkins said.
The sophomore forward also scored many of her season-high 23 points from her usual spot in the paint, and she hit two free throws with just more than three minutes remaining to give the Tar Heels their first lead since the 11-minute mark of the first half.
In a five-minute stretch in the first half, the Blue Devils held the Tar Heels without a point. A one-point advantage quickly ballooned to 16.
"Duke was outplaying us," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell. "They were getting all the loose balls, all the tie-ups - they just played harder than we did in the first half, like they wanted it more. I don't know if that's happened to us all year."
It was those factors that forced the Tar Heels to play a near-complete game - in addition to the aforementioned contributors, Little scored eight of her 14 points after halftime and reserves Alex Miller and LaToya Pringle also had key baskets down the stretch.
And it is those contributions that befit a team primed to ascend to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time in school history.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/27/06 5:00am)
Third-ranked North Carolina finds itself with an opportunity this weekend that almost every women's basketball program would envy.
With wins tonight and Sunday, the Tar Heels would emerge as the lone team remaining undefeated - assuring an undisputed No. 1 national ranking.
The trouble is that the latter of those two games is at No. 2 Duke, a team bursting with confidence after dominating No. 1 Tennessee 75-53 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday.
UNC will take on those undefeated Blue Devils on Sunday at 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Unlike recent years, however, the Tar Heels will enter the rivalry with a legitimate reason to be equally confident. Duke had won 12 games in a row against its local foe entering last season, when UNC prevailed in all three games.
But last year's Blue Devil squad did not have Lindsey Harding in uniform. The junior point guard, who averaged 11 points and four assists per game before Thursday's contest with Clemson, spent last season in street clothes due to a suspension for unspecified reasons.
"(Duke seems) a lot different," said UNC forward Camille Little. "They're more confident, they have a steady point guard now who has experience. I think that's one thing they have this year."
Little said she casually watched the Duke-Tennessee tilt Monday, and UNC point guard Ivory Latta added that she watched it no differently than any other game on TV. But even watching periodically it was hard to miss Harding's stellar performance - she tallied 15 points and eight steals in the blowout.
And point guard play proved crucial last year at Cameron Indoor when UNC escaped with a 77-68 win. The Tar Heels forced 25 turnovers, a feat that likely will prove more difficult with Harding at point instead of then-freshman Wanisha Smith.
But don't think that Harding will alter the Tar Heels' game plan staple of fast-paced pressure defense.
"We're not going to change anything," said UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell. "We're not going to do anything any different. We're going to do what we've been doing all year."
What they've done has been enough to win all 18 of the team's games thus far, but the Tar Heels also will need to win No. 19 tonight at Wake Forest if they want to ensure that Sunday's game remains an undefeated showdown.
The Demon Deacons enter the contest, which begins at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports South, having yet to lose a conference game at home. They also live and die on their 3-point shooting - WFU leading scorer Cotelia Bond-Young attempts 9.5 3s per game and is already the all-time ACC leader in the category.
UNC's recent struggles at Lawrence Joel Coliseum could make tonight's game even more interesting - the Tar Heels have lost four of their last six games in Winston-Salem.
"We know the past couple years we've struggled at Wake Forest, so I think we know that we have to go in with the mind-set of focusing on that game," Little said. "Maybe some of the underclassmen (are looking ahead to Duke), but hopefully we can get them out of their mind-set."
Hatchell has stressed to her team the dangers of overlooking Wake Forest, and the team's upperclassmen accordingly have vowed not to focus on Sunday's much-hyped clash in Durham.
But continually preaching focus does not always correspond to the court.
"Wake Forest is a pretty good team," Latta said. "That's what we're really focusing on. We can't go half-stepping down there - you never know what will happen."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/19/06 5:00am)
North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell touts her team's style of play as 'Carolina Basketball' - a moniker that includes high intensity and a trapping defense that leads to fast-break opportunities.
But Wednesday at Carmichael Auditorium, it was more like 'Georgia Tech Basketball' that dominated the game's opening 20 minutes.
The Yellow Jackets, who entered the game winless in the ACC, clearly frustrated the home team even though UNC entered the intermission with a 32-25 lead.
"We were letting them go back and set the defense every time," Hatchell said. "We were not moving. Our athleticism, which is an advantage for us, is only an advantage if we're moving. And when we're not moving that cancels out."
The offensive woes culminated in a 7 minute, 24 second stretch in the first half in which UNC failed to successfully convert a field goal.
Tech employed a combination of defenses - including a zone that collapsed in the paint - and forced the Tar Heels to hit outside shots.
And they proved unable to do so as UNC guards Jessica Sell, Alex Miller and Ivory Latta all missed open 3-pointers during the stretch. Four free throws from Erlana Larkins were all that prevented the Yellow Jackets from emerging with more than a 15-11 lead at the nine-minute mark of the half.
"We were switching defenses on every possession, and they were trying to figure out what to run against those defenses," said Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph. "We did a good job getting out on shooters and contesting shots early."
Zones periodically have frustrated the Tar Heels - in last season's ACC Tournament, Miami nearly pulled off a shocking upset of top-seeded UNC by employing a zone. In that game, the Tar Heels had 24 turnovers and shot a meager 29 percent from the field.
Wednesday, Georgia Tech held UNC to a similarly lackluster 9-for-27 shooting performance in the first half and forced 12 turnovers.
The second half, though, bore few similarities to the first.
The Tar Heels' traps did not allow the Yellow Jackets to become set defensively, and UNC shot a much-improved 55 percent from the floor.
"The turnovers they caused in the second half (were the difference)," Joseph said. "It's hard to defend breakaway layups."
An early Larkins steal epitomized that shift and set the tone for the second-half blowout that would ensue. The sophomore forward intercepted a pass in the paint and heaved the ball downcourt to a streaking La'Tangela Atkinson, who deposited a layup and extended the UNC lead to 11.
And after a quick turnover by Tech's Kentrina Wilson, Sell hit a 3-pointer on the Tar Heels' next possession to further extend the leading margin.
Yet, while the final score might obscure the grind-it-out first half, the opening period could serve as a warning for future games against more difficult opponents.
"We just have to go out and play like we played in the second half and have the intensity for 40 minutes," Atkinson said.
"Play 'Carolina Basketball' throughout the whole game."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/17/06 5:00am)
RALEIGH - Of Coach Sylvia Hatchell's 699 wins before Sunday, there were many that were prettier.
There were many when her team shot greater than 32 percent.
There were many when her leading scorer converted more than two field goals in the game.
And there were many when her team sported an assist-to-turnover ratio better than 9-to-21.
Despite those flaws on the stat sheet, after the game Hatchell displayed a grin and was adorned with a bouquet of flowers. Victory 700, in which North Carolina prevailed 65-53 against N.C. State at Reynolds Coliseum, not only enshrined Hatchell in the record books but preserved an undefeated season for the No. 4 Tar Heels.
"We sputtered probably more than we've sputtered all year out there," Hatchell said. "(State) played a really good game and made us play real out of sync. I expected a game like this because State's always tough over here. I expected it to be a competitive game like it was."
Though UNC (16-0, 3-0 in the ACC) is typically led offensively by guard Ivory Latta, who entered Sunday's contest averaging a team-best 17.7 points per game, the battle in the post ultimately determined the game's outcome.
Early on, NCSU forward Tiffany Stansbury controlled the paint against the Tar Heels' Erlana Larkins. Stansbury scored eight points in the first nine minutes, helping her team to a 15-14 lead in the process. Larkins, meanwhile, had just two points at that point.
But the UNC sophomore asserted herself in the latter part of the first half against the No. 25 Pack (11-5, 2-2). She also drew two crucial fouls on Stansbury, who spent the remainder of the game in foul trouble.
"Coach Hatchell and (assistant coach Charlotte Smith-Taylor) were telling me to post up higher so I had room to make a move once I caught the ball instead of being so close to the basket," Larkins said.
Larkins' performance, combined with stifling defense, allowed UNC to embark on a 15-0 first-half run that threatened to turn a back-and-forth game into a rout. State had seven turnovers during the stretch, and Larkins' 13 first-half points helped UNC enter the locker room with a 37-23 advantage.
"Our inside defense (disappointed me)," said N.C. State coach Kay Yow. "That's when Larkins went on a run. They took the ball into her time after time."
NCSU made two charges in the second half but never could shrink the margin to fewer than six points, even though Larkins picked up her fourth foul with 11 minutes left. When Larkins headed to the bench, in came LaToya Pringle who finished with nine points, four rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes.
She punctuated her performance with an unusual four-point possession after the 'Pack had trimmed the margin to six for the second time.
After making one free throw, Pringle missed the second but managed to corral the rebound. Nine seconds later, she secured another offensive board and converted a three-point play to restore a double-digit lead.
"She's done this for us several times this year," Hatchell said. "I can think of a couple other games when she went in and made an unbelievable difference, and she did it tonight too."
Pringle's performance complemented double-doubles from Larkins and forward Camille Little, who scored her 1,000th-career point in the game. The two starters combined for 27 points and 25 rebounds.
Larkins and Little helped to nullify the Tar Heels' poor shooting and ball control. But when the buzzer sounded, the woes on the box score could not prevent Hatchell from becoming the fifth Division-I coach to reach the 700-win plateau.
"I don't feel that old," Hatchell joked. "I love it as much now as I've ever loved it, and mainly it's because of this team. These kids, I told them in the locker room, I just couldn't enjoy a team any more than I enjoy this group."
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/13/06 5:00am)
If the possibility of achieving 700 coaching victories for its coach is exciting for North Carolina, Sylvia Hatchell's squad isn't showing it right now.
In fact, members of the nation's fourth-ranked women's basketball team had little knowledge that their coach is one win shy of the milestone.
"I didn't even have any idea until you just told me," said junior Camille Little.
"I actually found out yesterday," said sophomore Erlana Larkins. "I was in the training room and someone was like, 'You know Coach Hatchell could get her 700th win Sunday?' And I was like, 'No.'
"They don't tell us stuff like that."
Hatchell could get that win against No. 25 N.C. State on Sunday. The game tips off at 5 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports Net.
And whether the players know or not, just four coaches that have coached at least 10 years at the Division-I level have eclipsed that plateau - none in the ACC.
"I really haven't thought a lot about it to tell you the truth," Hatchell said. "I guess it means you've been coaching a long time."
The coach and her team both appeared more concerned with bettering the team's 15-0 record than altering the record books.
To do both, though, the Tar Heels will have to prevent Wolfpack coach Kay Yow from coming closer to her 700th win. Yow has accumulated 684 victories and could secure another tonight at Virginia prior to Sunday's game.
Recently, N.C. State has played stingy defense against the Tar Heels even though it has lost eight of the last nine meetings between the schools. In the teams' last four matchups, UNC has not shot better than 36 percent from the field and it has not drained more than four 3-pointers.
"State's a very good team, very athletic," Hatchell said. "They always play at a high level and always play their best when they beat Carolina."
And N.C. State has the talent and experience to stay with the run-and-gun Tar Heels, something that Miami could not accomplish Monday in a 90-57 UNC victory in Coral Gables, Fla.
The 'Pack boasts an effective post duo in senior Tiffany Stansbury and sophomore Khadijah Whittington. The players both average in double figures and lead the team in rebounding .
To try to nullify that post game, the Tar Heels likely will employ their notorious backcourt pressure in an attempt to disrupt the flow of N.C. State's offense. Larkins said the coaches have continued to emphasize trapping in recent weeks, and UNC successfully forced 30 turnovers against Miami on Monday.
"It's a little rusty now because sometimes we confuse ourselves and we don't know which trap to run," Larkins said. "The more we run it ,the more we'll get better at it."
The Tar Heels also could be forced to face the pressure of a close game Sunday, something that has not happened much thus far in the 2005-06 campaign.
In UNC's 15 games, the team has not prevailed by a margin fewer than seven points, though it did survive an 88-80 overtime win at Old Dominion on Dec. 29.
By contrast, in the team's last four regular-season wins against the Wolfpack the margin has not bettered three.
"We still have a lot of room to grow as a team to get better," Little said. "These next games will be a learning experience for our freshmen. A lot of these games we've played haven't been as intense as this one will be."
If the team learns enough in time for Sunday's tip, Hatchell could achieve her 700th victory in Raleigh.
And if not, it could be the team's first setback in its attempt to repeat as ACC regular season champions.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(09/29/05 4:00am)
If North Carolina runs back a punt for a touchdown this year, Lesley Tate will deserve much of the credit.
(09/27/05 4:00am)
According to Coach John Bunting, the North Carolina defense had two major coverage errors in Saturday's 31-24 victory at N.C. State.
(09/26/05 4:00am)
RALEIGH - A minute into Saturday's game, Barrington Edwards tied his career high for rushing in a game.
(09/21/05 4:00am)
Many people would prefer to have the North Carolina-N.C. State football game late in the year, to culminate the teams' seasons with what many fans consider the state's most important gridiron rivalry.
(09/19/05 4:00am)
Immediately after the game ended, the Kenan Stadium scoreboard reset to where it began Saturday, boasting a 0-0 score between Carolina and Wisconsin with 15 minutes remaining in the first quarter.