University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels Host No. 9 Duke
February 26, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2000
Tipoff
North Carolina hosts ninth-ranked Duke on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 12:30 p.m. in Carmichael Auditorium. The game wraps up the regular season for both teams.
Next up for the Tar Heels is the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, which will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum. Play begins on Friday, March 3, at 6 p.m. The championship game is scheduled for Monday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Quick Facts on the Tar Heels
Record: 15-11 overall, 7-8 ACC
Head Coach: Sylvia Hatchell
Hatchell's Career Record: 556-224 (25th year)
Hatchell's Record at UNC: 284-144 (14th year)
Assistant Head Coach: Andrew Calder
Assistant Coaches: Ann Hancock, Tracey Williams
National Rankings: Not ranked
UNC website: www.TarHeelBlue.com
On the Air
Sunday's game against Duke will be televised by the Regional Sports Networks as part of the ACC women's basketball television package. The game will air on Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South and Sunshine Network. Announcers are Dave Johnson (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (color commentary).
The game also will be broadcast on radio by the Carolina Women's Basketball Network. The flagship station is 1360-AM WCHL. Stephen Gates will handle the play-by-play and Craig Kocher will provide color commentary.
News to Note
- Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale continues to lead the ACC in both scoring (17.7 points per game) and rebounding (8.6 per game). She has scored at least 20 points in each of the past three games.
- UNC standouts Sylvia Crawley, Marion Jones and Tracy Reid will be on hand for a halftime ceremony during which their jerseys will be honored.
- The Tar Heels have not lost a game this season in which they shot at least 40 percent from the field. They have averaged 46.8 shooting over the past three games.
- In four of the Tar Heels' last five wins, they have come from behind in the final five minutes of the game.
- Duke's 43-point margin of victory in the season's first matchup was Carolina's worst defeat since 1990.
- Heading into the final game at Carmichael this season, Carolina is 11-2 on its home court.
UNC vs. Duke
Sunday's game is the 52nd meeting between Carolina and Duke. The Tar Heels lead the series 35-16, but the Blue Devils have won the last three matchups.
Earlier this season, on Jan. 27, Duke won 101-58 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The 43-point margin of defeat was the largest since a 49-point loss at Virginia on Feb. 15, 1990, and tied for the third-largest losing margin in school history. UNC trailed 52-22 at halftime and trailed by as many as 50 (97-47 with 2:49 to play).
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale and freshman guard Cherie Lea led the Tar Heels with 15 points each, a career-high for Lea. Freshman forward Jennifer Thomas was UNC's leading rebounder with seven in 14 minutes of play, as the team collected a season-low 27 boards.
The Tar Heels shot 30.2 percent, compared with 57.1 by Duke.
In the last meeting at Carmichael, on Jan. 22, 1999, Duke won 93-71 behind 28 points from Michele VanGorp. Nikki Teasley led UNC with 18 points before a sell-out crowd.
The last Carolina win in the series was in the 1998 ACC Tournament, when the Tar Heels eliminated Duke in the semifinals, 56-52. Nikki Teasley, then a freshman, led UNC in scoring with 13 points.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke is 23-4 on the season, 12-3 in the ACC. The Blue Devils, ranked ninth by AP and eighth in the coaches' poll, are coming off an 87-52 win over Florida State on Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Junior guard Georgia Schweitzer leads Duke in scoring with 16.0 points per game. She is the only active Blue Devil currently averaging double figures. Senior forward Lauren Rice leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 per game.
Duke is coached by Gail Goestenkors, who is 171-71 in her eighth year with the team.
Last Time Out
On Tuesday, Feb. 22, in Tallahassee, Fla., UNC defeated Florida State after coming from behind in the game's final minutes. The Tar Heels trailed by one, 36-35, at halftime and did not take the lead for good until Nikki Teasley hit two free throws to put UNC up 75-74 with 46 seconds to play. In the final 1:52 of play, Teasley scored nine of the team's 10 points.
The game marked the first time this season that UNC has defeated an opponent that shot better than 50 percent from the field. FSU shot 55.7, third-highest of any Carolina opponent this season.
LaQuanda Barksdale hit the 20-point mark for the third-consecutive game, leading UNC with 26 points and seven rebounds. Teasley added 21 points (including 10-for-11 free throw shooting), nine assists and seven rebounds. Juana Brown was also in double figures, with 13 points and six rebounds.
April Traylor led FSU with 19 points.
Honored Jerseys
Three former Carolina players - Sylvia Crawley, Marion Jones and Tracy Reid - will have their jerseys honored in a ceremony at halftime of the Duke game. Replicas of their jerseys will join five other honored jerseys and one retired jersey already hanging in the Carmichael Auditorium rafters.
"We're excited to honor these three young women who have meant so much to our program," Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "They are all great ambassadors for UNC women's basketball."
The Carolina program retires jersey numbers only for national players of the year and has retired just one, Charlotte Smith's #23. Players may have their jerseys honored after meeting one of several criteria.
Crawley's #00 jersey will be honored in recognition of her status as MVP of Carolina's 1994 NCAA Championship team. Crawley, who played at UNC from 1991-94, has played professionally in the ABL and overseas since her graduation.
Jones' #20 jersey will be honored in recognition of her having been named first-team All-America. Jones, who played three seasons of basketball at UNC (ˇ94, ˇ95 and ˇ97) before turing her attention to track, was MVP of the ACC Tournament in 1997 and is now considered the top women's sprinter in the world.
Reid's #00 jersey also will be honored in recognition of her having been a first-team All-America selection. Reid was a two-time ACC Player of the Year and two-time All-America pick while at Carolina from 1995-98. She now plays for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting and in 1998 was the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Other UNC women's basketball players whose jerseys have been honored are Marsha Mann, Bernadette McGlade, Tresa Brown, Pam Leake and Tonya Sampson.
Something of a Hot Streak
After watching their shooting percentage plummet to the bottom of the ACC standings, the Tar Heels had their best shooting game of the season against Georgia Tech on Feb. 13. UNC shot 56.9 percent from the field, hitting 33 of 58 shots. Carolina came into the game shooting 38.2 from the field, ninth in the league.
In the first meeting of the season with Georgia Tech, UNC had shot its lowest percentage of the season, 24.4.
The Tar Heels averaged 43.3 percent from the field through their first 11 games, ending with the Dec. 30 win over California. UNC shot 33.4 percent from the field in the next 12 games, beginning with the Jan. 3 loss to NC State.
UNC has followed up the Georgia Tech game with two performances in the 40's. Against Wake Forest on Feb. 17, UNC shot 42.9 percent and against FSU on Feb. 22, the Tar Heels shot 41.8 percent. On the season, UNC is shooting 39.2 percent, tied for seventh in the ACC.
- Although shooting in the 30's for the season, the Tar Heels have averaged 46.8 percent from the field over their last three games.
- The Tar Heels have not lost a game this season when shooting at least 40 percent from the field. In all 11 losses, UNC has shot 39 percent or lower.
Thousand-Point Club
Three juniors - LaQuanda Barksdale, Juana Brown and Nikki Teasley - all have passed the 1,000 career points mark this season. Teasley hit her 1,000th first, during the game at Maryland on Dec. 2. Barksdale joined her in the elite club during the home game against Maryland on Jan. 30. Brown scored her 1,000th during the Feb. 10 game at Clemson.
arksdale, Brown and Teasley are the second trio of 1,000-point scorers to play on the same UNC squad in recent years. The 1994 team also featured three players who had passed that mark: seniors Sylvia Crawley and Tonya Sampson, and junior Charlotte Smith.
Shooting for .500
At 7-8 in the ACC with one game remaining, the Tar Heels must beat Duke to avoid finishing with a losing record in the conference. The last time UNC wrapped up the ACC season below .500 was the 1990-91 season, when the Tar Heels were 2-12 in the conference. In 1995-96, they were 8-8.
Just four times in Coach Sylvia Hatchell's 14 seasons and five times in the history of the program has Carolina finished with a losing record in ACC play.
Breakout Year for Barksdale
After a solid sophomore season in which she led the team in rebounding, junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has emerged as one of the top players in the conference and a candidate for ACC Player of the Year honors.
Throughout the season, she has ranked among the ACC leaders in both scoring and rebounding and currently averages 17.7 points and 8.6 boards, both at the top of the conference.
arksdale earned ACC Player of the Week honors on Dec. 13 after averaging 30 points and 18.5 rebounds in that week's two games. She set a career high with 31 points against Georgia Southern on Dec. 7, then came back with 29 against Radford on Dec. 11.
With Higgins, then the ACC's leading rebounder, on the bench with back pain, Barksdale picked up the slack with 18 boards against Georgia Southern and 19 (tying her career high) against Radford.
arksdale has 17 career double-doubles, seven this season. She has scored 20 or more points on 16 occasions, including the last three games and a total of 11 times this season.
Coming from Behind
Until the Maryland game on Jan. 30, UNC hadn't won once all season after trailing with five minutes to play. Now, the Tar Heels have earned four of their last five wins after coming from behind.
Against the Terrapins, UNC was behind 45-43 at the five-minute mark before Juana Brown hit a three to put Carolina up 46-45 with 4:41 to play. The Tar Heels held onto the lead after that and went on to win 54-49.
Against Virginia on Feb. 7, UNC trailed by eight, 55-47, with five minutes to play. Nikki Teasley scored the team's final 10 points of the half, including two free throws with 25 seconds on the clock that tied the game at 57-57 and sent it into overtime, after which Carolina won 66-63.
Against Wake Forest on Feb. 17, UNC trailed by one with five minutes on the clock. The Tar Heels outscored the Deacons 15-6 in the final 3:11 to claim the win.
Against Florida State on Feb. 22, UNC trailed 65-61 with five minutes to play. The Seminoles went up by six before UNC started to chip away at the lead with a three-pointer by Juana Brown that brought the Tar Heels back within three with 4:49 to play. Nikki Teasley scored nine consecutive UNC points in the final 1:52 and her free throws with 43 seconds to play put the Tar Heels up for good.
500th Victory for Carolina Women's Basketball
Against Georgia Tech on Feb. 13, the Tar Heels earned the 500th victory in the history of the varsity program. Women's basketball became a varsity sport at UNC for the 1974-75 school year and the Tar Heels played their first game on Jan. 13, 1975, winning 74-47 against NC State in Raleigh.
Now in its 26th year as a varsity program, Carolina sports an all-time record of 502-274, a winning percentage of .647.
Higgins Tough on the Boards
Over a three-game span against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State in January, junior center Jackie Higgins averaged an impressive 13.3 rebounds. She had a career-high 17 at Georgia Tech on Jan. 13 then grabbed another 14 at Wake Forest on Jan. 16 and led the team against Florida State on Jan. 20 with nine. Higgins also led the team in scoring against Wake with a career-high 17 points and had 16 against FSU. For the season, she has six double-doubles.
The 6-0 player from Durham, N.C., is averaging 8.0 rebounds (third in the ACC) and 9.9 points.
Check Out Hatchell @ CNN/SI.com
Throughout the season, coach Sylvia Hatchell has contributed a bi-weekly journal to the CNN/Sports Illustrated website. The latest installment, as well as an archive of Hatchell's entries, is available on the women's basketball page at cnnsi.com.
Chasing the Assists Record
Heading into the 1999-2000 season, junior Nikki Teasley needed 169 assists to capture the UNC career record. With last season's total of 211, she already holds UNC's single-season record. Teasley also broke the school's single-game record in 1999, with 15 assists against Georgia Tech on Jan. 24.
| 1. Pam Leake (124 games, 1983-86) | 545 |
| 2. Pam Hammond (122 games, 1982-85) | 513 |
| 3. Emily Johnson (112 games, 1989-92) | 511 |
| 4. Marion Jones (102 games, 1994-97) | 511 |
| 5. Nikki Teasley (85 games, 1998-present) | 491 |
Raining 3's
UNC continues to lead the ACC in three-pointers per game with an average of 6.0 per outing.
Junior guard Leah Sharp ranks among the conference leaders in three-point percentage (34.5, sixth) and three-pointers per game (1.5, seventh).
As a team, UNC is shooting 32.3 from three-point range, fifth in the conference. The Tar Heels are shooting 39.2 percent from the field (seventh in the ACC) and 68.3 percent from the free throw line (fourth in the ACC).
Teasley Back in Action
Junior Nikki Teasley returned to the Tar Heel lineup on Jan. 30 against Maryland, following a leave of absence from the team that dated back to Jan. 5. The Maryland game was her first appearance in a UNC uniform since Jan. 3, when Carolina hosted NC State. - It feels good to be back with everyone and playing basketball again, - she said after the game, a 54-49 win for UNC.
On Sunday, Jan. 23, coach Sylvia Hatchell announced that Teasley would rejoin the team on Monday, Jan. 24. "Nikki has been working proactively to resolve some personal issues," Hatchell said at that time. "This work is on-going and her return to the team will be on a gradual basis."
Teasley watched practice that Monday and participated on Wednesday. She did not dress out for the game at Duke on Jan. 27, but returned to action three days later.
Teasley appeared in the first 12 games of the season, starting eight and averaging 14.0 points, then missed the next seven.
She made her first start since the first NC State game on Feb. 22 at Florida State. The Tar Heels are 14-5 with Teasley in the lineup this season, 5-2 since her return.
In Remembrance
Each Tar Heel uniform bears a black patch with the letters "MH" in memory of UNC Chancellor Michael Hooker. Hooker, a 1969 Carolina graduate and chancellor since 1995, succumbed to non-Hodgkins lymphoma on June 29th, 1999.
In his four years as chancellor, Hooker made a tremendous impact on the university. He was a staunch supporter of the Carolina athletic programs, both at home and on the road. In his memory, all 28 UNC varsity teams will wear the patches during the 1999-2000 school year.
Tar Heel Honors
- Freshman forward Jennifer Thomas was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 20. Thomas scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in a Dec. 19 win over Michigan State, the Tar Heels' only game of the week.
She also earned the honor on Dec. 6 after averaging 15.3 points in the previous week's three games. Thomas shot 54.2 percent (13-24) from the field and 80.0 percent (20-25) from the free throw line. She also contributed 4.7 rebounds per game in an average of 18.7 minutes on the floor.
- Junior guard Nikki Teasley was named ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 15 after averaging 17.7 points and 6.0 assists in the week's three games. Against Virginia on Feb. 7, she scored 24 points, equal to her season high. Against Georgia Tech on Feb. 13, she handed out a season-high 12 assists.
- Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale was named ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 13 after averaging 30 points, 18.5 rebounds in the two games of the week.
- Barksdale was named to the all-tournament team at the Wachovia Women's Invitational Tournament after averaging 19.5 points in UNC's 99-86 loss to Notre Dame and 106-80 win over Richmond. Barksdale was perfect from the free throw line in the tournament, hitting all 12 of her attempts.
UNC in the Polls
On Jan. 24, after losing six of the past seven games, UNC fell out of the USA Today Coaches' Poll, marking the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season that the Tar Heels have not been ranked in either poll.
UNC fell out of the Associated Press poll on Jan. 17, after having been ranked every week since the 1996-97 preseason poll. The team had been ranked in the USA Today poll every week since Dec. 2, 1996.
The Tar Heels began the 1999-2000 season ranked in the top 10, but fell out of the single digits after losing to Notre Dame on Dec. 4. They moved back into the top 10 at the end of 1999 and remained there through the first week of 2000.
| AP | USA Today | ||
| Preseason | 9 | 8 | |
| 11/15 | 8 | 8 | |
| 11/22 | 10 | 11 | |
| 11/29 | 9 | 12 | |
| 12/6 | 11 | 14 | |
| 12/13 | 10 | 11 | |
| 12/20 | 10 | 11 | |
| 12/27 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1/3 | 9 | 9 | |
| 1/10 | 15 | 12 | |
| 1/17 | -- | 23 | |
| 1/24 | -- | -- | |
| 1/31 | -- | -- | |
| 2/7 | -- | -- | |
| 2/14 | -- | -- | |
| 2/21 | -- | -- |
Battling the Injury Bug
Freshman guard Courtney Chambers has been diagnosed with mononucleosis and missed several weeks of play. She has appeared in six games this season, averaging 4.5 minutes per game.
Carolina's numbers were sparse in some December games as players battled a variety of injuries and illnesses.
Junior guard Juana Brown missed three games (Richmond, Georgia Southern, Radford) because of back spasms and junior center Jackie Higgins missed two games (Georgia Southern, Radford) with back pain.
Sophomore center Maggie Goloboy missed the Radford and Georgia Southern games with bronchitis. Freshman guard Courtney Chambers sat out the game against Radford with an illness and junior guard Leah Sharp missed that game with a pulled groin, suffered against Georgia Southern. All were back in action for the Dec. 19 game against Michigan State.
Not a Senior in the Bunch
For the first time in Sylvia Hatchell's 14 years as the UNC coach, Carolina doesn't have a single senior on the roster. This year's team is made up of seven juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen.
Preseason Play
The Tar Heels split their preseason exhibition games, losing to the Russian Junior National Team 82-77 on Nov. 3 and beating Makos CKB Cassovia (Slovakia) 71-64 on Nov. 14.
Junior forward LaQuanda Barksdale led the team in both games, with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the first and 23 points, 14 rebounds in the second. Junior Jackie Higgins, who started at center, also turned in impressive performances, with 15 points, nine rebounds against Russia and 18 points, 13 rebounds against Slovakia.
Returning Core
North Carolina returns its top three scorers and four of its top five from the 1998-99 season. Guard Nikki Teasley led the team in scoring last season with 15.4 points per game, guard Juana Brown added 14.6 points and forward LaQuanda Barksdale scored 13.9. Departed senior Chanel Wright scored 13.7 points per game.
The Tar Heels also return the majority of their rebounding, with four of the top five back. Barksdale led the team with 7.8 per game. After Wright's 5.3 per game, UNC got 5.2 from Brown and 5.1 from forward Jackie Higgins.
Great Expectations
At the ACC media day in October, the Tar Heels were picked as the favorite to win the conference championship. UNC was listed first on 22 ballots, compared with 14 for NC State and two for Virginia.
Carolina's Nikki Teasley was named to the Preseason All-Conference team, along with Georgia Tech's Niesha Butler, Virginia's Erin Stovall and North Carolina State's Summer Erb and Tynesha Lewis.
Next Year's Additions
The Tar Heels signed three players during the early signing period in November.
- Chrystal Baptist: A 6-2 guard/forward from Farmville, N.C., she scored 23.4 points per game last season for Farmville Central and averaged 16 rebounds. She is attending Charlotte Christian School for her senior year.
- Carrie Davis: A 6-4 forward/center from Franklin, Tenn., she averaged 16 points and nine rebounds last season for Brentwood High. She was named district MVP and was a member of the all-region team.
- Candace Sutton: A 6-5 center from Kettering, Md., she averaged 17 points and 9.1 rebounds for Largo High last season.
Looking Back at 1999
The Tar Heels finished the season 28-8, reaching the Sweet 16 before falling to Purdue 82-59 in the Midwest Regional semifinal. For the second year in a row, UNC was ousted from the NCAA Tournament by the eventual champion. (Carolina was knocked out in the regional final by Tennessee in 1998.)
UNC spent the entire season ranked in the AP poll, with a high spot of fifth and a low of 14th at the season's end.
The Tar Heels finished tied for third in the ACC during the regular season and as the runner-up in the ACC Tournament. They surpassed the 25-wins mark for the fifth time in six years.
ACC Honors
Three Carolina players - Juana Brown, Nikki Teasley and Chanel Wright - were named to the All-ACC Tournament first team in 1998-99. Teasley was also named to the All-ACC second team, while Brown and LaQuanda Barksdale were selected for the the third team.
UNC reached the ACC Tournament finals for the fifth time in the past six years, but lost to Clemson 87-72 in the championship game.
Named for the Naismith
oth Nikki Teasley and LaQuanda Barksdale are listed among the preseason candidates for the Naismith Award, given to college basketball's player of the year. Teasley is listed among the top 10 candidates, while Barksdale is on the - Best of the Rest - list.
Teasley also was among the candidates for the award last season.
Barksdale Brings Home Silver
LaQuanda Barksdale spent part of her summer competing as a part of the USA Basketball World University Games team, which won a silver medal in Spain in July. Barksdale started all six games of the competition and averaged 11.8 points (second on the team) and 4.5 rebounds.
Team Captains
Juniors LaQuanda Barksdale and Jasmyn Huntington were selected to serve as team captains for the 1999-2000 season.
Coach Sylvia Hatchell
Sylvia Hatchell is in her 14th year as Carolina's coach and her 25th year as a head coach. A North Carolina native, Hatchell has led the team to an average of 20.7 wins per year over the past 13 seasons and to 26.6 wins per year over the past six.
She is the only coach to have won women's basketball national championships on the NCAA, NAIA and AIAW levels. Besides the 1994 NCAA Championship at UNC, Hatchell led Francis Marion to the NAIA national championship in 1986 and to an AIAW title in 1982.
