University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Florida State
Women's Basketball Tops Florida State, 77-67
January 20, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2000
The University of North Carolina women's basketball team broke a five-game losing streak Thursday night with a 77-67 Atlantic Coast Conference win over visiting Florida State. UNC is now 10-7 overall, 2-5 in the ACC. FSU is 8-8, 1-5 in the ACC.
UNC trailed by three, 33-30, at halftime and the Seminoles stretched their lead to six early in the second half. The Tar Heels used a 10-0 run midway through the half to take the lead, but FSU stayed close and with 3:14 to play, the score was tied at 61-61. Carolina finished the game with a 16-6 run, which including two three-pointers by junior guard Juana Brown.
"I was really proud of our team for competing so hard, especially in the second half," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "I thought we played tentative in the first half and the first couple of minutes of the second half, but then we picked it up."
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale led Carolina in scoring with 19 points, 14 in the second half. Brown finished with 17, shooting four-for-five from three-point range. Junior center Jackie Higgins was the third Tar Heel in double figures and also led the team in rebounds with nine.
Senior forward Latavia Coleman led FSU in scoring with 20 points, 16 of which came in the first half. Junior forward Brooke Wyckoff added 14 points and led the team in rebounds with seven. Carolina won the rebounding battle, 38-28.
"Hats off to Carolina," FSU coach Sue Semrau said. "They played a great game. I thought they shot with confidence, especially in the second half."
UNC shot 51 percent for the game, a welcome improvement from the team's recent shooting woes. The Tar Heels averaged 30.7 percent from the field during their five-game losing streak, the team's longest since the 1990-91 season.
"When you lose five in a row, it's a relief when you finally win," Barksdale said. "This feels really, really good and we don't want to stop now."
Next up for the Tar Heels is a trip to Ames, Iowa, where they'll play eighth-ranked Iowa State on Sunday. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST and will be televised by ESPN2. Florida State hosts ninth-ranked Duke on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in a game that will be televised as part of the ACC's Regional Sports Networks package.
