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Western Michigan
Six Score In Double Figures As UNC Wins 81-52
December 17, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2003
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - With six players scoring in double figures, the North Carolina women's basketball team defeated Western Michigan 81-52 Wednesday evening at Carmichael Auditorium. The No. 15 Tar Heels improved to 8-1 with the win, while the Broncos fell to 3-4.
Junior Nikita Bell was UNC's top scorer with 14 points. Freshman Ivory Latta, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week, and junior Leah Metcalf scored 12 each and sophomore La'Tangela Atkinson had 11. Senior Candace Sutton scored 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field, and freshman Camille Little had 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.
For Western Michigan, sophomore Casey Rost led all scorers with 16 points, including four three-pointers. Sophomore Kelly Koerber finished with 12 points and junior Maria Jilian added 10.
The Broncos, which gave UNC all it could handle in a 79-76 Carolina win last season in Kalamazoo, Mich., held a 9-8 lead five minutes into the game behind seven points from Rost. But the Tar Heels went on a 21-4 run over the next 10 minutes and the margin stayed in double digits after that.
"I thought our team got off to a great start in terms of trying to stop what Carolina wanted to do and limiting them to one shot," Western Michigan coach Ron Stewart said. "With combination of them turning the corner and us melting down, I thought there was a turning point midway through the first half when we just couldn't score."
Carolina led 38-18 at halftime and the game never got closer than 17 points in the second half. The Tar Heels shot 50 percent (16-32) in the first half and 47.2 for the game, while WMU rebounded from 25.9 percent shooting (7-27) in the first half to hit 40 percent of its shots in the second half, 33.3 for the game.
UNC won the rebounding battle 47-35 and had a season-high 23 assists but had 23 turnovers, one shy of equaling the season high in that category.
"I thought we were a little sluggish after final exams, which ended today," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "In spots we looked really good. We've just got to get more consistent.
"Western Michigan was a great team for us to play because we had make a lot of adjustments. It's difficult to play them because of all the screens they set and the fundamental ball they play."
With finals over, the Tar Heels depart Thursday morning for Myrtle Beach, S.C., where they'll play South Carolina on Saturday. Tipoff at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center is 3 p.m.
Western Michigan is back in action on Friday, hosting Utah State for a 7 p.m. game.
