University of North Carolina Athletics
Women's Hoops Takes on the Tigers
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
February 2, 1999
With just three days to regroup after a poor effort against one Atlantic Coast Conference power, Clemson readies for another as it hosts North Carolina on Wednesday.
In a battle with second-place Virginia on Saturday, the No. 17 Tigers (17-4, 7-4 ACC) were awful for much of the game and suffered a 75-55 loss. They will have to play much better Wednesday against the No. 13 Tar Heels (21-3, 8-3) or a similar result is likely.
Against Virginia, Clemson was outscored 41-10 over a 21-minute stretch spanning the halves. The Tigers committed 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the second half and played so poorly that coach Jim Davis felt the need to issue apologies to Virginia's fans during his postgame interview.
"They came expecting to see a basketball game and there was none," he said. "They whipped us in every phase."
Clemson fell into fourth place in the ACC, a game behind the third-place Tar Heels.
North Carolina was on the other end of a whipping Sunday, routing Wake Forest, 88-66. The Tar Heels were sparked by Juana Brown, who scored 21 of her career-high 28 points in the second half.
"She sets the tone for us up there," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said of Brown. "When she gets after it, the rest of them get after it."
The Tar Heels have rebounded from a two-game losing streak by winning two straight. The key for North Carolina has been rediscovering its offense. The Tar Heels are averaging 87.5 points in the last two games.
North Carolina led by as much as 25 points in an 87-76 victory over Clemson on Jan. 4. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series, 29-22.
