In a narrow escape, the No. 12 North Carolina’s women basketball team defeated North Carolina State ,67-63, in Reynolds Coliseum Thursday evening. The Tar Heels are now 4-2 in the ACC and 17-3 overall. With the loss, N.C. State fell even to 3-3 in the conference with a 12-7 record.

The start of the game was sluggish for both teams. Carolina committed 3 turnovers in its first few possessions and did not score a field goal until almost four minutes into the game. Both UNC and N.C. State were shooting well below 30 percent from the field.

Unlike the teams’ first meeting in Chapel Hill on Jan. 4, the Tar Heels never made a solid run to gain any hope of clinching a blowout. In fact, N.C. State ran up the score on them, leading by as many as 13, but the Wolfpack ended the first half with a 26-21 edge thanks to poor shooting from the Tar Heels.

“We kept battling hard, so I was happy we were only down by five at halftime,” UNC head coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “But State played really smart and they played well but we had a time out and I challenged the seniors – I have three seniors. And I just said ‘alright you three seniors, this is your team.’ And they went back out there and then man, all of a sudden we got a couple of steals off defensive pressure and it gave us some momentum that we needed.”

Coming out of the halftime break, UNC turned up the intensity on its defense and broke out into a trap that allowed them three steals and two easy buckets for Latifah Coleman and Stephanie Mavunga.

And in the final minutes of fouls and free throws, senior Brittany Rountree sealed the win for UNC, going 8-8 from behind the line in the last 30 seconds. Her 9 points came from free throws alone.

“The free throws, we do a lot of those in practice,” Rountree said. “Coach (Andrew) Calder and Coach Hatchell challenge us so I mean, it just comes with practice. It’s something that I’m used to and my teammates and coaches depend on me so I don’t let them down. I kind of like being in those situations, especially silencing the crowd.”

N.C. State’s offense was led by Len’Nique Brown with 21 points and Dominique Wilson with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jennifer Mathurin, a 6’1” forward, posed as a double threat to Carolina as a big presence in the post and a scorer from outside. Mathurin shot 3-7 from the three point line.

Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore maintains hopes of keeping an NCAA tournament berth a realistic goal for his team, but he says he knows they’re running out of time.

“The thing about this league is it’s probably the strongest in the country,” Coach Moore said. “If you can get some signature wins, you still have a chance. We’re 3-3, but again we don’t have a signature win or two that we need and we’ve got to find a way to get that.”

The Tar Heels will continue to be that signature team to beat for the remainder of the season. Next up for UNC comes a home court showdown against another rival this weekend. No. 15 Duke, who is now 13-6 on the season and 4-2 in the ACC, travels to Carmichael Sunday at 5 p.m.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Related Stories
‹
Tar Heels Take Down GT in First Round of ACC's
Stephanie Mavunga led the Tar Heels to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament Thursday night with a game-high 23 points over Georgia Tech in an 84-64 win in Greensboro.
Wake Forest Hands UNC Women's Basketball Early Exit From ACC Tournament
Despite a career-high 23 points from freshman guard Alyssa Ustby, the UNC women’s basketball team fell to Wake Forest 82-71 on Thursday in Greensboro as part of the ACC Tournament Second Round. The Demon Deacons (12-11, 8-10 ACC) were red-hot from three-point range, shooting 10-for-17 from deep on the way to the victory. In addition […]
UNC Bounces Georgia Tech in ACC Women's Basketball Tournament, Moves On to Quarterfinals
The No. 8-seeded UNC women’s basketball team got its ACC Tournament off to a good start Thursday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum, defeating the No. 9 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 80-73 even while missing a pair of key players. Sophomore forward Janelle Bailey–an All-ACC Second Team performer–was sidelined for disciplinary reasons, while guard Stephanie […]
Janelle Bailey Named ACC Women's Basketball Player of the Week
UNC sophomore forward Janelle Bailey was named the ACC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, coming off an 85-63 win against Howard this past Friday that saw her pour in a career-high 30 points to go along with 14 rebounds. This is Bailey’s first ACC Player of the Week honor, after winning the […]
Paris Kea's 28 Points Lead UNC Past Boston College in First Round of ACC Women's Basketball Tournament
Playing in her hometown of Greensboro, UNC junior guard Paris Kea made sure the Tar Heels’ stay in the ACC Tournament would last longer than one day. Kea scored 28 points in Wednesday afternoon’s First Round action to lead the 12th-seeded Tar Heels past the No. 13 seed Boston College Eagles 69-64. The win snaps […]
ACC Names Janelle Bailey Its Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year
ACC commissioner John Swofford announced Wednesday that UNC forward Janelle Bailey has been named the league’s women’s basketball Rookie of the Year. The 6-foot-4-inch native of Matthews, North Carolina has been a revelation for head coach Sylvia Hatchell in the frontcourt this season–leading all freshmen in the conference with 15.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per […]
Heels Tumble Out of Tourney in OT Loss
No. 15 North Carolina was knocked out of the ACC Women’s Tournament Saturday night by No. 10 Louisville in a 77-75 overtime loss.
Gray Leads Victory Over FSU in Late Scoring Spree
In what many would call an upset victory, No. 17 North Carolina women’s basketball knocked down No. 7 Florida State Thursday night in Carmichael Arena, 71-63.
UNC Closes Rivalry Week with Sunday Duke Matchup
The No. 12 North Carolina women's basketball team faces its top rival, No. 15 Duke, in Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m.
UNC WBB Completes Comeback Win Over N.C. State
In a narrow escape, the No. 12 North Carolina’s women basketball team defeated North Carolina State ,67-63, in Reynolds Coliseum Thursday evening.
›