University of North Carolina Athletics
Game Notes On The UNC Women's Basketball Meeting With NC State
January 13, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Jan. 13, 2001
Tipoff
On Sunday, Jan. 14, UNC hosts NC State in a battle of Atlantic Coast Conference and cross-Triangle rivals. Tipoff is 1 p.m. and the game will be played at the 21,750-seat Dean E. Smith Center.
The Tar Heels hope to draw a crowd for today's game that will surpass the current ACC single-game attendance record of 14,500. That total was set on Feb. 11, 1992, when top-ranked Maryland hosted second-ranked Virginia before a capacity crowd at Cole Field House. Virginia won that game, 75-74.
Next up for Carolina is a trip to Florida State. The Tar Heels face the Seminoles in Tallahassee on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m.
Quick Facts on the Tar Heels
2000-01 Record: 8-6 overall (2-3 ACC)
Head Coach: Sylvia Hatchell
Hatchell's Career Record: 569-232 (26th year)
Hatchell's Record at UNC: 297-152 (15th year)
Assistant Head Coach: Andrew Calder
Assistant Coaches: Tracey Williams, Sylvia Crawley
Team Captains: LaQuanda Barksdale, Juana Brown, Leah Sharp
National Rankings: Not ranked in either poll
Sports information contact: Dana Gelin
Phone/email: (919) 962-0083/dgelin@uncaa.unc.edu
UNC website: www.TarHeelBlue.com
On the Air
Sunday's game will be televised by the Regional Sports Networks as part of the ACC women's basketball television package. The broadcast will be carried live by Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South and the Sunshine Network.
Beth Mowins will handle play-by-play and Debbie Antonelli will provide color commentary.
The NC State game also will be broadcast on radio by the Carolina Women's Basketball Network. The flagship station is 1360-AM WCHL. Stephen Gates is the Tar Heels' play-by-play announcer.
News to Note
* Carolina is 8-6 (2-3 ACC) following a 78-76 homecourt loss to Virginia on Thursday.
* For Sunday's game, the North Carolina coaching staff will wear teal ribbons commemorating the fight against ovarian cancer. Before the game, UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell will make a contribution, based on this year's season ticket sales, that will help fund ovarian cancer research.
* The UNC women are 10-7 in games played at the Dean E. Smith Center.
* Through 14 games, the Tar Heels already have more blocks this season (52) than they did all of last year (49). Freshman center Candace Sutton leads the team with 22.
* Senior guard Juana Brown is a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line in ACC games.
* Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale is tied for 34th in the NCAA in scoring and ranks seventh in the nation in rebounding. Sophomore guard Coretta Brown ranks 15th in assists.
* Tar Heels lead the ACC in scoring (LaQuanda Barksdale, 19.1), rebounding (Barksdale, 10.9), assists (Coretta Brown, 6.4) and blocks (Candace Sutton, 1.7)
* Carolina leads the ACC in scoring (77.8), rebounding (45.4) and assist/turnover ratio (0.97). The Tar Heels rank last in rebounding defense (42.0 by opponents) and three-point percentage defense (32.5 percent by opponents).
* Junior center LaShonda Allen suffered a broken bone in her left hand during Thursday's game and is doubtful for the NC State matchup.
* The Tar Heel roster boasts two preseason candidates for the Naismith National Player of the Year Award in seniors LaQuanda Barksdale and Juana Brown.
Carolina's Statistical Leaders
Scoring: LaQuanda Barksdale, 19.1 points per game (1st ACC)
Rebounding: LaQuanda Barksdale, 10.9 per game (1st ACC)
Assists: Coretta Brown, 6.4 per game (1st ACC)
Steals: Juana Brown, 2.2 per game (7th ACC)
Blocks: Candace Sutton, 1.7 per game (1st ACC)
Minutes: Coretta Brown, 37.9 per game
Field goal percentage: LaShonda Allen, 52.9 percent, 18-34
Three-point percentage: Coretta Brown, 41.5 percent, 22-53
Free throw percentage: Juana Brown, 73.0 percent, 27-37
Scouting the NC State Wolfpack
NC State is 11-4 on the season, 2-3 in the ACC, coming off a 71-64 non-conference win over Temple on Thursday. Senior guard Tynesha Lewis led her team in scoring with 21 points and sophomore forward Carisse Moody added 18 points with 10 rebounds.
The victory was the 600th of Wolfpack coach Kay Yow's career.
NC State is led in scoring by Moody's 13.5 points per game. Lewis is just behind with 13.2 points per game. Moody also leads the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game, while sophomore forward Adeola Olanrewaju adds 5.0.
NC State is ranked 19th in the current Associated Press poll, 18th in the coaches' poll.
The Wolfpack has scored ACC wins this season over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, and has fallen to Florida State, Virginia and Clemson.
UNC vs. NC State
Sunday's game will be the 67th meeting between North Carolina and North Carolina State. The Wolfpack leads the series 21-45 and has won the last five matchups. Last season, NC State won 79-72 at Carmichael Auditorium on Jan. 3 and 86-76 at Reynolds Coliseum on Feb. 3.
* North Carolina's last win in the series came on Jan. 22, 1998, 67-64 in Chapel Hill. That victory was the 500th of coach Sylvia Hatchell's career.
Season Ticket Sales Benefit Cancer Research
Coach Sylvia Hatchell, who is in her 15th season at UNC, pledged to donate $5 to ovarian cancer research for each 2000-01 season ticket sold. Prior to the NC State game on Jan. 14, she will present a check to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she was treated last summer.
Hatchell's saga began in May, when she underwent tests that revealed concerning abnormalities. She had surgery at UNC on June 2nd, knowing there was a possibility she would awaken to the news that she had ovarian cancer. The tumor the doctors found was benign, however, and she received a clean bill of health.
"What happened this summer has given me a new perspective and made me realize how fortunate I am," Hatchell says. "I was one of the lucky ones-I am not battling cancer. I'd like to help others fight it by doing what I can for the great programs here at UNC."
For more information on the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and its programs, go to http://cancer.med.unc.edu
Famous Faces to Shoot at Halftime
North Carolina will welcome many alumni to Sunday's game, and three will take the court. Tracy Reid, Tonya Sampson and Charlotte Smith, all of whom earned All-America honors at UNC, will compete in a three-point shooting contest at halftime.
* Reid (1995-98) ranks as the leading scorer in Carolina women's basketball history (2,220 points) and was named ACC Player of the Year in 1997 and `98. She also earned All-America honors in both of those seasons. Her #00 jersey has been honored by UNC and hangs in the rafters at Carmichael Auditorium.
Reid earned the 1998 WNBA Rookie of the Year award while with the Charlotte Sting and now plays for the Miami Sol.
*Sampson (1991-94) was the leading scorer on the 1994 NCAA Championship team and earned All-America honors that season. Her #32 jersey also has been honored by UNC.
She now plays professional basketball overseas.
* Smith (1992-95) also was a member of the 1994 championship team nd made the best-know shot in Tar Heel history, a buzzer-beating three-pointer, to clinch that title for UNC. She made another famous field goal on Dec. 4, 1994, in a game against North Carolina A&T, when she became just the second women's player to dunk in a college game.
In 1995, she earned All-America honors and was named Player of the Year by ESPN. Her jersey, No. 23, is the only Carolina women's basketball jersey to have been retired.
She now plays for the WNBA's Charlotte Sting.
Smith Center a Second Home
The NC State game is the Carolina women's basketball team's second home game of the season at the Dean E. Smith Center. On Nov. 25, the Tar Heels lost to Old Dominion 91-77 there.
This season's games are the first at the Smith Center for the UNC women since the 1997-98 season. That year, the Carmichael floor was damaged when the building's roof caught fire in February of 1998. The Tar Heels hosted Georgia Tech at the Smith Center on Feb. 8 (UNC won 85-55) before a temporary floor was installed at Carmichael.
The first basketball game at the Dean E. Smith Center was on Jan. 18, 1986, when the UNC men beat Duke, 95-92. The UNC women first played there on Jan. 13, 1987, losing 82-76 to NC State during Sylvia Hatchell's first season as the Tar Heels' coach.
The UNC women are 10-7 at the Smith Center.
UNC's Most Recent Action
Virginia forward Schuye LaRue's layup with 1.8 seconds remaining in Thursday evening's game gave her a total of 29 points and pulled out a 78-76 win for the Cavaliers in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Chapel Hill. Virginia improved to 12-5 overall, 4-1 in the ACC with the win, while UNC fell to 8-6 overall, 2-3 in the ACC.
At Carmichael Auditorium, the Cavaliers led by as many as eight in the second half and were up by six with 3:55 to play, but Carolina edged closer and tied the score at 76-76 on a three-pointer by senior guard Juana Brown with 30 seconds remaining in the game. Virginia ran down the clock, however, and after calling a timeout with 5.5 seconds to play, got the ball inside to LaRue.
"That's exactly what we wanted to do," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "We didn't want to give them the chance to win the game. We ran through that play in shootaround."
LaRue also was the leading rebounder in the game with 10, pacing her team to a 43-29 rebounding advantage over UNC. Junior guard Telisha Quarles scored 17 points, all of them in the second half. Sophomore forward Marcie Dickson was the other Cavalier in double figures with 13.
Sophomore guard Coretta Brown led Carolina in scoring with 21 points. Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Juana Brown added 10 points.
"I'm proud of the way we played," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "I thought we played well enough to win. We could very easily be celebrating instead of upset about losing.
"I think the key was rebounding, and Schuye LaRue. We couldn't handle her."
North Carolina's total of 29 rebounds was its lowest of the season.
vThe Tar Heels opened up a nine-point lead less than five minutes into the game, but Virginia battled back to go up by one with 7:47 remaining in the half. Carolina led 40-35 at the break behind 13 points from Coretta Brown. For the game, she also had seven assists and five rebounds, but committed seven turnovers.
The game marked the first time this season that UNC has lost after leading at the half.
Brown on Target Against ACC Teams
Senior guard Juana Brown is perfect from the free throw line against ACC opponents this season. Over the last four games, she has hit all 15 of her attempts. (Brown missed the Tar Heels' conference opener, against Maryland on Dec. 9, with a sprained knee.)
In her first eight games of the season, against non-conference teams, Brown shot 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) from the foul line. Her overall season percentage is 73.0 (27-37), highest on the UNC team.
Barksdale Climbing Rebounds Chart
Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale, who led the ACC in rebounding last season and is again at the top of the list this season, has moved into 10th place on North Carolina's career rebounds chart. Barksdale, who is averaging 10.9 rebounds per game this season, now has a career total of 796.
Career Rebounds G Reb.
1. Bernie McGlade (1977-80) 121 1,251
2. Charlotte Smith (1992-95) 129 1,200
3. Dawn Royster (1984-87) 110 1,108
4. Tracy Reid (1995-98) 121 1,065
5. Henrietta Walls (1980-83) 123 1,024
6. Tonya Sampson (1991-94) 123 924
7. Tresa Brown (1981-84) 121 901
8. Kathy Crawford (1980-83) 124 870
9. Tia Poindexter (1985-88) 117 852
10. LaQuanda Barksdale (1998-01) 115 796
Doubling Up
Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has seven double-doubles in this season's 14 games, just three short of the total of 10 she posted in both the 2000 and the 1999 seasons. After 19 points and 15 rebounds against Clemson on Jan. 8, she now has a career total of 27, best among active ACC players.
She currently is averaging a double-double, with 19.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
* Sophomore guard Coretta Brown has two double-doubles this season, one with points and rebounds (17-10 vs. Winthrop) and one with points and assists (17-16 vs. North Carolina A&T).
Hatchell closing in on 300 at UNC
In her 15th season as head coach at Carolina, Sylvia Hatchell is three wins away from recording her 300th victory with the Tar Heels. Her record at UNC currently stands at 297-152.
Hatchell is in her 26th year as a head coach and holds a career record of 569-232. She ranks sixth in total victories among active women's basketball coaches.
Finally, a New Result in the New Year
In the third game of 2001, UNC finally picked up its first win of the year. After beating Elon on Dec. 28 to finish up 2000, the Tar Heels lost at home to Georgia Tech on Jan. 2 and at Wake Forest on Jan. 4 before winning 71-70 at Clemson on Jan. 8.
UNC also got off to a slow start in 2000. Last year, the Tar Heels lost their first five games-all ACC contests-after New Year's Day before topping Florida State 77-67 on Jan. 20. Carolina opened conference play with a record of 1-5 in 1999-2000 before rallying to finish 8-8 in the league.
Injury Report
Junior center LaShonda Allen suffered a broken bone in her left hand during the second half of the Jan. 11 game against Virginia and is as doubtful for the NC State game. Allen suffered the break, to the base of the third metacarpal in her left hand, when her fingers hit the basket support. Her hand was X-rayed Friday morning and the injury was diagnosed Friday afternoon.
The 6-5 Allen is averaging 3.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season, 6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds over the last four games. She has started four games, including the last three.
* Senior guard Juana Brown sprained the lateral collateral ligament in her right knee during the game against Notre Dame on Dec. 3 and missed the games against Maryland and Winthrop. She twisted her knee just over five minutes into the game when she fell out of bounds while attempting to defend a lay-up by a Fighting Irish player and did not return to the game.
rown returned to the lineup for the Dec. 21 game against South Carolina.
* Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale missed the second half of the Dec. 9 Maryland game after suffering an allergic reaction that began to affect her late in the first half. Barksdale suffered a generalized allergic reaction, including swelling in her face and neck, and was treated on-site by team medical staff. She did not return to the game. The cause of the reaction was never discovered.
* Freshman center Candace Sutton played just seven minutes in the Dec. 21 game against South Carolina before suffering a concussion that kept her out of action for the rest of the evening. She did not dress for the following game, against Elon on Dec. 28, returned to action in the following game against Georgia Tech.
Career Highs
Several Tar Heel veterans already have set new career highs this season:
* Sophomore guard Coretta Brown scored 27 points against Maryland on Dec. 9, eclipsing the then-career-high 23 points she had scored against Syracuse in the second game of the season. She equalled her career high with a team-leading 27 against South Carolina.
Brown grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds against Winthrop.
Against North Carolina A&T, she passed out 16 assists to set a school single-game record. Brown's previous high was 10, set against Richmond last season.
* Senior LaQuanda Barksdale scored a career-high 32 points against Elon on Dec. 28. She was 11-22 from the field, hitting her only three-point attempt, and 9-11 from the free throw line. Barksdale scored 23 of her points in the first half. She also added 14 rebounds before fouling out with 3:36 to play.
* Senior Juana Brown handed out eight assists against Buffalo, topping her old high of seven, set during her sophomore year.
* Senior Leah Sharp scored a career-high 21 points-including 15-for-16 shooting from the foul line-against Maryland on Dec. 9 to better her previous high of 19, set during her freshman season. Her five steals against Maryland also set a career record.
* Redshirt freshman Courtney Chambers, who appeared in six games last season, scored nine points against N.C. A&T to eclipse her former scoring high of four points. Her two assists and three steals against the Lady Aggies also were career bests.
* Sophomore Cherie Lea grabbed a career-high seven rebounds against Old Dominion. Her previous best was six.
* Sophomore Jennifer Thomas' 20 points (on 9-for-9 shooting from the field) and three steals against Buffalo bettered previous top performances of 18 points and two steals.
* Junior center LaShonda Allen pulled down a career-high nine rebounds at Clemson on Jan. 8.
Free for the Taking
Carolina struggled from the foul line at the start of the season, shooting just 56.1 percent through the first six games. The Tar Heels boosted that figure significantly, however, with their performance against Maryland. Against the Terrapins, UNC was 32-for-40 from the foul line for a season-high shooting percentage of 80.0, which improved the team's average to 62.0 for the season.
Senior guard Leah Sharp had the standout performance in the Maryland game, hitting 15 of 16 free throws for the game and 13 of 14 in the final 2:46 of play. Her 15 makes fell just one short of tying the UNC single-game record.
Sophomore guard Coretta Brown was 8 of 10 from the line and sophomore guard Cherie Lea was 5 of 6.
Carolina had another outstanding performance from the line in the loss to Wake Forest, shooting a season-high 83.8 percent (31-37). In that game, Coretta Brown was 8-for-8 and senior guard Juana Brown was 6-for-6.
Following a 12-18 performance against Virginia, UNC's season percentage is 64.3.
Presence in the Middle
Freshman center Candace Sutton began her UNC career as a part of the starting lineup and has made the most of that opportunity. Over her first 13 collegiate games, Sutton has averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds, playing 19.1 minutes per game. (She played just seven minutes against South Carolina after suffering a concussion that also kept her out of the game against Elon.)
Against Buffalo, in her first game as a Tar Heel, Sutton scored 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting in 18 minutes of play.
Sutton has made an early difference for UNC in blocked shots. Last season, the Tar Heels totaled 49 blocks, an average of 1.5 per game, and LaShonda Allen led the team with a total of nine. Sutton already has 22 this season and the team has a total of 52, or 3.7 per game.
The Jan. 4 game against Wake Forest marked the only game this season that UNC hasn't had at least one blocked shot. In 1999-2000, there were 10 games in which the Tar Heels did not have a block.
Allen Shines in ACC Play
Junior center LaShonda Allen has put together some of the best performances of her career in recent games and currently averages 5.8 points and 6.0 rebounds against conference teams, nearly double her overall numbers (3.2 points, 3.9 rebounds).
Against Georgia Tech on Jan. 2, she was 5-for-6 from the field for 10 points and added seven rebounds. At Wake Forest on Jan. 4, she made her second start of the season and scored nine points to go with five rebounds. At Clemson on Jan. 8, she was again in the starting lineup and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes.
Over the last four games, she is 10-for-12 from the field.
Slow Start for the Tar Heels
With three losses it its first six games, UNC got off to its slowest start since the 1988-89 season. That year, Carolina opened 1-3 before winning its next seven.
In 1999-2000, UNC suffered its third loss of the season in its 12th game. In the previous two years, the Tar Heels had not lost a third game until mid-January (`99, `98). In 1997, UNC finished the season 29-3, losing its third game in the NCAA regional semifinal.
Freshmen Step Up
All four true freshmen on the roster have seen action, with center Candace Sutton starting 10 games and appearing in all but the Elon game, which she missed because of a concussion. Chrystal Baptist has appeared in nine games, Joy Hairston in five and Carrie Davis in three.
Baptist shined against N.C. A&T in her home debut, coming off the bench to score 10 points and grab 10 rebounds in just 11 minutes of play. Hairston and Davis also scored their first points as Tar Heels in that game: Hairston was 2-for-4 from the field and 2-for-4 from the free throw line for 6 points, and Davis was 0-for-1 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free throw line for 1 point.
Familiar Face on the Bench
In addition to four freshmen on the roster, the Tar Heels have added a new face to the lineup on the bench. Sylvia Crawley, a former Carolina player who graduated in 1994, is in her first season on the coaching staff. As a UNC player, she captained the `94 NCAA championship team and now plays professionally, last season as a member of the WNBA's Portland Fire. In 2000, she averaged 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds.
In 1998, 6-foot-5 Crawley won the ABL's Slam Dunk Contest.
