University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Minnesota
Tar Heels Advance To Sweet 16 With 72-69 Win Over Minnesota
March 18, 2002 | Women's Basketball
March 18, 2002
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By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Coretta Brown scored 19 points and Candace Sutton added 18 as fourth-seeded North Carolina beat fifth-seeded Minnesota 72-69 in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Monday night.
The Tar Heels (26-8) advanced to the round of 16, where they will face the winner of Monday's game between top-seeded Vanderbilt and ninth-seeded Arizona State.
The Tar Heels trailed 69-68 late, but took the lead on a basket by Sutton with 1:35 to play. After a defensive stop, Chrystal Baptist added a putback off a miss by Nikki Teasley with 17.2 seconds left.
Minnesota (22-8) had a chance to tie, but Lindsay Whalen's desperation 3-pointer fell short, giving the Tar Heels their 12th win in 14 games.
Teasley scored 17 points in her final game at Carmichael Auditorium.
The Gophers, who were 8-20 last season, charged to a big lead early before bowing in the final minutes.
Minnesota scored eight straight points - punctuated by a three-point play by Corrin Von Wald - to take a 63-57 edge with 7:52 to play.
Brown answered with 3s on consecutive possessions, followed by a 3-pointer by Teasley that rolled around the rim before going in, giving North Carolina a 66-65 lead with 5:19 to play.
The teams traded buckets until the Tar Heels took control in the final minute.
Whalen finished with 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting to lead Minnesota.
Minnesota hit eight of its first 13 shots and raced to a 21-7 lead. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, started 2-for-14 and shot just 36 percent for the period.
North Carolina rallied by increasing its pressure defense, as Minnesota offset its 57-percent shooting with 14 first-half turnovers.
Teasley scored seven straight points to end the first half, pulling the Tar Heels within 37-36.
