University of North Carolina Athletics
Women's Basketball Begins Second Swing Through ACC
January 27, 2001 | Women's Basketball
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Jan. 27, 2001
Tipoff
On Sunday, Jan. 28, Carolina begins its second swing through the Atlantic Coast Conference with a road game at Maryland. Tipoff is 2 p.m.
Next up for UNC is a trip to Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels face the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
Quick facts on the Tar Heels
2000-01 Record: 10-8 overall (4-4 ACC)
Head Coach: Sylvia Hatchell
Hatchell's Career Record: 571-234 (26th year)
Hatchell's Record at UNC: 299-154 (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 not be carried on radio locally due to a time conflict with the UNC men's game at NC State, which begins at 1 p.m.
News to note
* Carolina is 10-8 (4-4 ACC) following a 92-85 overtime loss at home to Duke on Thursday.
* The Tar Heels' next win will be the 300th at UNC for coach Sylvia Hatchell, who is 299-154 in her 15th year with the program.
* Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has 11 double-doubles this season, six in the last seven games. She now has 31 for her career.
* The Tar Heels lead the ACC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.00, with 304 assists and 304 turnovers this season.
* Freshman center Candace Sutton has scored in double figures in each of the last three games, averaging 14.7 points. For the season, she is scoring 7.7 points per game.
* Sunday's game is the collegiate debut in her home state for Maryland-native Candace Sutton.
* Carolina is 0-4 this season when either team shoots 50 percent from the field. UNC has shot better than 50 percent just twice this season, in the losses to Buffalo and Duke. The Tar Heels lost to Old Dominion and Oklahoma when those teams shot 50 percent or better.
* Through 17 games, the Tar Heels already have more blocks this season (63) than they did all of last year (49). Freshman center Candace Sutton leads the team with 29.
* Tar Heels lead the ACC in scoring (LaQuanda Barksdale, 19.6), rebounding (Barksdale, 11.5), assists (Coretta Brown, 6.5) and blocks (Candace Sutton, 1.7).
* Carolina leads the ACC in scoring (78.3), rebounding (44.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.00). The Tar Heels rank last in scoring defense (72.2 points per game by opponents), three-point percentage defense (32.7 by opponents), rebounding defense (41.6 per game by opponents) and steals (8.6 per game).
* Junior center LaShonda Allen suffered a broken bone in her left hand during Jan. 11 game against Virginia and has not played since then. She is questionable for the game against Maryland.
* 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, 19.6 points per game (1st ACC)
Rebounding: LaQuanda Barksdale, 11.5 per game (1st ACC)
Assists: Coretta Brown, 6.5 per game (1st ACC)
Steals: Juana Brown, 2.1 per game (7th 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, 39.4 percent, 26-66
Free throw percentage: Leah Sharp, 72.9 percent, 35-48
Scouting the Maryland Terrapins
Maryland is 12-7 overall, 4-4 in the ACC. The Terrapins are coming off a road win at NC State, 61-57 on Thursday night. Junior forward Deedee Warley led four Maryland players in double figures with 17 points.
For the season, junior guard Marche Strickland leads the team with 13.2 points per game. Warley averages 12.1 and sophomore guard Renneika Razor adds 11.1. Razor also leads the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game.
The Terrapins rank second in the ACC in steals with 11.0 per game and third in assists with 16.7 per game. They rank seventh in scoring (67.1) and in rebounding (37.6).
Maryland is coached by Chris Weller, who is 482-263 in her 26th season with the program.
UNC vs. Maryland
Sunday's game is the 50th meeting between the Tar Heels and the Terrapins. Maryland holds a 25-24 edge in the series, but the Tar Heels have won the last six meetings.
Earlier this season, Carolina won 87-69 in Chapel Hill to open ACC play. Sophomore guard Coretta Brown led the Tar Heels with a career high 27 points and senior guard Leah Sharp added a career high 21. Senior guard Juana Brown missed the game with a sprained knee and senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale sat out the second half after suffering an allergic reaction late in the first half. Junior guard Marche Strickland led the Terrapins with 24 points.
In the last matchup in Cole Field House, Barksdale led five players in double figures with 22 points. Juana Brown had one of her six career double-doubles with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The last Maryland win in the series came during the 1997-98 season, 84-63 in College Park, Md., on Jan. 18, 1998.
Home state debut for Sutton
Freshman center Candace Sutton, the only Maryland player on this year's UNC roster, will make her collegiate debut in her home state on Sunday. Sutton is from Kettering, which is 15 minutes from College Park.
In addition to family and friends in the stands, Sutton will encounter several familiar faces on the court. From age 13 to age 16, she played AAU basketball for the Beltway Lady Cougars with Terrapin freshmen Sarah Jenkins and Kiki Wimbush. Sutton and Jenkins had teamed up even before that, dating back to youth leagues at the local Boys and Girls Club.
UNC's most recent action
Duke's Sheana Mosch scored 13 of her 29 points in overtime as the No. 4 Blue Devils beat North Carolina 92-85 on Thursday. Mosch scored the Blue Devils' final 13 points, including a 3-pointer to tie the game at 82 with 1:59 left, and made 4-of-5 free throws in the last 38.9 seconds.
UNC's LaQuanda Barksdale hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 1.8 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 76.
Barksdale led North Carolina with 31 points-hitting 12-of-19 shots-and had 15 rebounds. Candace Sutton added a career high 19 points for the Tar Heels. Juana Brown had nine points, nine rebounds and a career-high 10 assists.
Georgia Schweitzer had 18 points and nine assists for Duke. Rometra Craig added 17 points and five assists.
North Carolina trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half before hitting 21-of-41 shots in the second half. UNC shot 51.5 percent for the game, it second highest percentage of the season.
North Carolina led 80-76 on a hook by Barksdale early in overtime, but had five turnovers in the final 2:30. The Tar Heels had 24 turnovers overall. Duke had just 11 turnovers and eight steals.
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 299-154.
Hatchell is in her 26th year as a head coach and holds a career record of 571-234. 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 tops the category again this year, is on the verge of moving into ninth place on North Carolina's career rebounds chart. Barksdale, who is averaging 11.5 rebounds per game this season, now has a career total of 850.
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) 119 850
Doubling up
Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has 11 double-doubles in this season's 18 games, six in the last seven games. After 31 points and 15 rebounds against Duke on Jan. 25, she now has a career total of 31, best among active ACC players.
She is averaging a double-double for the season, with 19.6 points and 11.5 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 in conference games. She hit her first 15 attempts in conference play, then missed the first of her two attempts against Florida State on Jan. 18.
rown 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 or Duke.
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, 39.5 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. She played 40 minutes of the Jan. 25th overtime game with Duke.
Too close for comfort
A combined five points is all that 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.
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 18 games, Coretta ranks second on the team in scoring (16.7points per game) and leads the ACC in assists (6.5). Juana, who missed two games in December with a sprained knee, averages 13.4 points, third on the team. She leads the Tar Heels in steals with 2.1 per game and ranks second in the ACC in three-pointers per game with 1.9.
Although senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale has the top scoring average on the team, one of the Browns has led the team in seven of the season's eight ACC games. (The exception is the Duke game on Jan. 25, when Barksdale scored 31 points.)
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 15.4 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 6.1 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 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 but returned to the lineup against Oklahoma on Jan. 21.
* Senior center Jackie Myers did not dress for the Duke game on Jan. 25 because she was recovering from a bronchial infection.
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 10 assists, beating her high of eight, set against Buffalo earlier this season. 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 began to take advantage of the freebies as the season progressed. The Tar Heels had their best performance of the season-21-of-25 for 84.0 percent-against NC State on Jan. 14. They have hit 80 percent or better in two other games.
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 65.8. In conference games, the Tar Heels are shooting 75.4 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 17 collegiate games, Sutton has averaged 7.7points and 4.9 rebounds, playing 20.1 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. She equalled that with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting against Florida State on Jan. 18 then scored a career-best 19 points against Duke on Jan. 25.
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 29 this season and the team has a total of 63, or 3.5 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 put together some of the best performances of her career prior to being sidelined by an injury on Jan. 11 that has kept her out of the last four 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 14 games and appearing in all but the Elon game, which she missed because of a concussion. Chrystal Baptist has appeared in 13 games, Joy Hairston in seven and Carrie Davis in six.
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. Against Oklahoma, Baptist scored seven points and added four rebounds in 11 minutes.
Against Duke, she contributed 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block in 12 minutes of play.
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
Tar Heels in the polls
The Tar Heels opened the season ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the USA Today coaches poll, but fell out a week into the season after losing at Buffalo. The Tar Heels continue to receive votes in the AP poll.
This season marked the ninth consecutive time that UNC was ranked in the preseason AP poll and the seventh time in the last eight years the Tar Heels were ranked in the preseason coaches' poll.
Carolina finished the 1999-2000 season ranked No. 18 in the final coaches' poll. The Tar Heels were not ranked in the last AP poll of the season.
UNC was ranked No. 1 in the final coaches' poll of the 1994 season. Carolina's highest-ever spot in the AP poll has been No. 3, four weeks during the 1993-94 and `94-95 seasons.
Coming to campus in the fall
The Tar Heels signed four players to letters of intent during the early signing period in November. They will replace UNC's four current seniors on the 2001-02 roster.
The incoming class is made up of:
Nikita Bell, F/G, 6-0, Columbus, Ga. (Spencer)
Kenya McBee, F, 6-2, Greenville, S.C. (Wade Hampton)
Leah Metcalf, G, 5-7, Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Christian)
Tiffany Tucker, C, 6-5, Colonial Heights, Va. (Matoaca)
