University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heel Women's Basketball Hosts Oklahoma
January 20, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2001
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Tipoff
On Sunday, Jan. 21, North Carolina hosts Oklahoma in game two of the ACC/Big 12 Challenge. Tipoff is 3 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill.
At 1 p.m., the first game of the Challenge pits NC State against Iowa State across the Triangle in Raleigh, N.C.
Next up for UNC is another home game, this one back in the conference. On Thursday, Jan. 25, Carolina hosts Duke for a 7 p.m. game.
Quick facts on the Tar Heels
2000-01 Record: 10-6 overall (4-3 ACC)
Head Coach: Sylvia Hatchell
Hatchell's Career Record: 571-232 (26th year)
Hatchell's Record at UNC: 299-152 (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 broadcast live nationally by espn2. Pam Ward will handle the play-by-play and Nancy Lieberman-Cline will provide 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 is the Tar Heels' play-by-play announcer.
News to note
* Carolina is 10-6 (4-3 ACC) following a 75-62 win at Florida State on Thursday.
* The Tar Heels' next win will be the 300th at UNC for coach Sylvia Hatchell, who is 299-152 in her 15th year with the program.
* Although LaQuanda Barksdale has the team's highest scoring average, a Brown-either Coretta or Juana-has led UNC in scoring in each of the last six games.
* Juana Brown had a career-high seven steals against Florida State and now ranks fourth in the ACC in that category.
* UNC is shooting 66.1 percent from the foul line this season but 75.0 percent (111-148) over the last five games.
* UNC has shot 50 percent or better from the field only once this season, in the season opening loss to Buffalo. In contrast, Oklahoma has hit 50 or better nine times.
* Carolina is 2-1 this season in television games, with a loss to Notre Dame and wins against Clemson and NC State.
* The Tar Heels are 6-3 against non-conference opponents this season.
* Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has nine double-doubles this season, four in the last five games.
* Through 16 games, the Tar Heels already have more blocks this season (58) than they did all of last year (49). Freshman center Candace Sutton leads the team with 25.
* Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale ranks 32nd in scoring and sixth in rebounding in the most recent NCAA standings. Sophomore guard Coretta Brown ranks 15th in assists.
* Tar Heels lead the ACC in scoring (LaQuanda Barksdale, 18.9), assists (Coretta Brown, 6.4) and blocks (Candace Sutton, 1.7). Barksdale ranks second in rebounds with 11.1.
* Carolina leads the ACC in scoring (77.9), rebounding (44.9) and assist/turnover ratio (0.98). The Tar Heels rank last in rebounding defense (41.4 by opponents).
* Junior center LaShonda Allen suffered a broken bone in her left hand during Jan. 11 game against Virginia and did not play against NC State or Florida State. She remains doubtful for the game against Oklahoma.
* 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, 18.9 points per game (1st ACC)
Rebounding: LaQuanda Barksdale, 11.1 per game (2nd ACC)
Assists: Coretta Brown, 6.4 per game (1st ACC)
Steals: Juana Brown, 2.4 per game (4th ACC)
Blocks: Candace Sutton, 1.7 per game (1st ACC)
Minutes: Coretta Brown, 38.2 per game
Field goal percentage: LaShonda Allen, 52.9 percent, 18-34
Three-point percentage: Coretta Brown, 40.7 percent, 24-59
Free throw percentage: LaQuanda Barksdale, 73.2 percent, 52-71
Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma is 12-4 (4-1 in the Big 12) coming off a 97-84 win over Texas A&M on Jan. 17. Five OU players scored in double figures in that game, led by Jen Cunningham with 18. LaNeishea Caufield added 17 and Stacey Dales had 14.
Dales, a junior guard, leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. Caufield, a junior guard, is just behind, averaging 15.9 per game. Also in double figures is sophomore forward Caton Hill with 12.7 ppg. Hill leads the team in rebounds with 8.6 per game.
The Sooners are coached by Sherri Coale, who is 65-67 in her fifth season with the program.
UNC vs. Oklahoma
Sunday's game is the second meeting between North Carolina and Oklahoma. The teams' only previous meeting was on Nov. 28, 1997, in the championship game of the LMU Furama Hotel Thanksgiving Classic in Los Angeles. UNC won that game 68-61 behind a team-high 22 points from then-freshman Juana Brown, who earned tournament MVP honors.
UNC vs. the Big 12
Carolina's last matchup with a Big 12 team was in last year's Big 12-ACC Challenge, when the Tar Heels traveled to face then-eighth ranked Iowa State and returned to Chapel Hill with a 79-67 loss.
Like this season, the game followed a matchup with Florida State. In 2000, Carolina beat the Seminoles 77-67 in Chapel Hill to snap a five-game losing streak before heading to Ames.
Including that game, UNC is 5-2 all-time against Big 12 teams. The Tar Heels have faced Iowa State (1-1), Kansas (1-0), Missouri (1-0), Nebraska (0-1), Oklahoma (1-0) and Texas (1-0).
Outside the ACC
The Tar Heels are 6-3 this season against non-conference teams, with the losses coming to Buffalo, Old Dominion and Notre Dame.
Over the past four years, Carolina is 55-13 against teams outside the ACC. That total includes an 11-2 record in `97, 13-2 in `98 (when UNC last faced Oklahoma), 15-2 in `99, 10-4 in 2000 and 6-3 this season.
UNC's most recent action
Senior guard Juana Brown led the Tar Heels with 21 points Thursday as visiting UNC defeated Florida State 75-62 at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.
North Carolina jumped out to a 10-2 lead, behind two three-pointers by Brown, and continued to lead throughout the half.
After trailing 34-31 at halftime, FSU tied the game at 44-44 with 15:39 left in the game and took its first lead since the opening minute of the game at the 15:11 mark. The Tribe went up five at 49-44 at the 13:12 mark, but then the Tar Heels went on a 22-3 run and took a commanding 66-52 lead with 5:22 remaining. UNC's largest lead was 15 points.
S
enior forward LaQuanda Barksdale and freshman center Candace Sutton had 15 each, while sophomore guard Coretta Brown had 10. Barksdale also led the team with 10 rebounds, while leading scorer Juana Brown had a career-high seven steals.
"The first half, I thought we were really sluggish," UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "We couldn't get anything going offensively. In the second half, we got down by five and all of a sudden, it was like someone lit a fire under us and we started playing Carolina basketball. Juana's threes were big, and we made some big buckets when we needed to."
Hatchell closing in on 300 at UNC
In her 15th season as head coach at Carolina, Sylvia Hatchell is one win away from recording her 300th victory with the Tar Heels. Her record at UNC currently stands at 299-152.
Hatchell is in her 26th year as a head coach and holds a career record of 571-232. She ranks sixth in total victories among active women's basketball coaches.
A North Carolina native, she came to Chapel Hill prior to the 1986-87 season after leading Francis Marion College to a 272-80 record over 11 seasons. She coached the Lady Patriots to two national championships, in the AIAW small college division in 1982 and in the NAIA in 1986.
She led UNC to the 1994 NCAA title and is the only women's basketball coach to have led teams to AIAW, NAIA and NCAA Division I titles.
Barksdale climbing rebounds chart
Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale, who led the ACC in rebounding last season and currently ranks a close second on this season's list, has moved into 10th place on North Carolina's career rebounds chart. Barksdale, who is averaging 11.1 rebounds per game this season, now has a career total of 821.
Career Rebounds at UNC 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) 117 821
Doubling up
Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has nine double-doubles in this season's 19 games, just one short of the total of 10 she posted in both the 2000 and the 1999 seasons. After 15 points and 10 rebounds against Florida State on Jan. 18, she now has a career total of 29, best among active ACC players.
She is averaging a double-double for the season, with 18.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
* Sophomore guard Coretta Brown has two double-doubles this season, one on points and rebounds (17-10 vs. Winthrop) and one on points and assists (17-16 vs. North Carolina A&T).
Juana on target from the line
Senior guard Juana Brown is nearly perfect from the free throw line against ACC opponents this season, hitting 16 of her 17 attempts over the past six games. She hit her first 15 attempts in conference play, then missed the first of her two attempts against Florida State on Jan. 18.
Brown sat out the Tar Heels' conference opener, against Maryland on Dec. 9, with a sprained knee. She did not take a foul shot against NC State.
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 71.8 (28-39), but she shoots 94.1 percent (16-17) against ACC teams.
She keeps going and going ...
Including 45 minutes on the court in an overtime win over NC State on Jan. 14, Coretta Brown is averaging a team-leading 38.2 minutes per game, 39.4 against conference opponents.
The sophomore guard has started every game at point guard and in five games this season has never left the court. In addition to the overtime matchup with the Wolfpack, she played the entirety of the Buffalo, Notre Dame, Maryland and Georgia Tech games.
Too close for comfort
A combined five points is all that has separated the Tar Heels and their opponents after regulation over a four-game stretch in January.
On Jan. 4, UNC lost by two at Wake Forest. In the next outing, on Jan. 8, Carolina won by one at Clemson. On Jan. 11, UNC lost by two at home against Virginia. And on Jan. 14 against NC State, the Tar Heels were tied at 73-73 at the end of regulation before going on to an 83-77 win.
Carolina enjoyed more breathing room in its latest contest, a 13-point win at Florida State on Thursday.
Prior to the Wake Forest game, the Tar Heels had not played to a margin any closer than six points all season.
Backcourt of Browns
Carolina's duo of Browns-senior shooting guard Juana and sophomore point guard Coretta-has proven to be a productive backcourt. Through 16 games, Coretta ranks second on the team in scoring (17.2 points per game) and leads the ACC in assists (6.4). Juana, who missed two games with a sprained knee, averages 13.8 points, third on the team. She leads the Tar Heels in steals with 2.4 per game, fourth in the ACC.
Although senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has the top scoring average on the team, one of the Browns has led the team in scoring in each of the last six games.
Coretta, who is from Statesboro, Ga., and Juana, who is from Memphis, Tenn., are not related.
Help from the bench
The Tar Heel bench has contributed an average of 15.3 points per game this year, but the scoring has varied widely from game to game. The reserves were quite productive in games against N.C. A&T State (38 points) and Georgia Tech (31 points), but contributed single-digit points against Clemson (five points), Syracuse (six points) and Notre Dame (eight points).
In no game this season has a player come off the bench to lead the Tar Heels in scoring.
Sophomore forward Jennifer Thomas is the highest scoring reserve, averaging 6.7 points per game. She has come off the bench to appear in every game and three times has scored in double figures. Her 20 points against Buffalo mark the highest total by a player off the bench this season.
Injury report
Junior center LaShonda Allen broke a bone in her left hand during the second half of the Jan. 11 game against Virginia and has not played in UNC's two games since then. 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 the following morning and the injury was diagnosed that 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 her last four games. She has started four games this season.
* 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.
* Freshman guard Courtney Chambers did not make the trip to Florida State on Jan. 18 because of abdominal pain.
Hitting the highs
Several Tar Heel veterans have hit 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. Against Florida State on Jan. 18, she snatched a career-high seven steals, beating her old total by one.
* 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, but of late has taken advantage of the freebies. The Tar Heels had their best performance of the season, 21-of-25 for 84.0 percent, against NC State on Jan. 14. They hit 17 of 23 (73.9 percent) against Florida State in their most recent game.
After the slow start, UNC boosted its anemic figure significantly with the performance against Maryland on Dec. 9. Against the Terrapins, UNC was 32-for-40 from the foul line for a then-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.
UNC's season percentage is 66.1, seventh in the ACC. In conference games, the Tar Heels are shooting 76.1 percent, second in the league.
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.
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 15 collegiate games, Sutton has averaged 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds, playing 19.3 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. She equalled that career high with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting against Florida State on Jan. 18.
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 has 25 this season and the team has a total of 58, or 3.6 per game.
The Jan. 4 game against Wake Forest and the Jan. 18 game against FSU are the only outings this season in which 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 had put together some of the best performances of her career leading up to an injury on Jan. 11 that has kept her out of the last two games. She 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 her last four games, she is 10-for-12 from the field.
Allen broke a bone in her hand late in the game against Virginia and did not play against NC State or Florida State. She remains doubtful for the game against Oklahoma.
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 12 games and appearing in all but the Elon game, which she missed because of a concussion.
Chrystal Baptist has appeared in 11 games, Joy Hairston in six and Carrie Davis in five.
aptist 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.
Baptist made a strong contribution in the NC State game on Jan. 14, scoring seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in 13 minutes of emotional play that seemed to fire up her teammates. She also had three rebounds, a steal and a block.
Familiar face on the bench
In addition to four freshmen on the roster, the Tar Heels added a new face to the lineup on the bench this season. 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.
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 presented a check for $5,000 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
