University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Host Clemson Sunday
February 15, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2003
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
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Tipoff: No. 8 UNC hosts Clemson, Feb. 16
The University of North Carolina women's basketball team (22-2 overall, 11-1 ACC) plays its second home game in a row on Sunday, hosting Clemson (12-10, 4-7 ACC) for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at Carmichael Auditorium. UNC won this season's first meeting, 77-55 in Clemson, S.C., on Jan. 16.
The Tar Heels are No. 8 in this week's Associated Press poll and No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA coaches' poll. Clemson is not ranked.
Next up for UNC a trip to Durham, N.C., to take on No. 2 Duke. That game is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m.
On the air
Sunday's game will be televised live nationally by Fox Sports. Beth Mowins will provide play-by-play for the broadcast and Debbie Antonelli will handle the color commentary.
The game against Clemson also will be broadcast live on the Tar Heel Radio Network. The flagship station is 1360-AM WCHL. Stephen Gates is Carolina's play-by-play announcer and Jones Angell provides color commentary.
Game action is available via the internet at www.TarHeelBlue.com.
Quick facts on UNC
2002-03 Record: 22-2 (11-1 ACC)
Current Rankings: 8th AP, 7th USAToday/ ESPN
Head Coach: Sylvia Hatchell (Carson-Newman, 1974)
Career Record: 624-251 (in her 28th season)
Record at UNC: 352-171 (in her 17th season)
Assistant Head Coach: Andrew Calder
Assistant Coaches: Tracey Williams, Charlotte Smith-Taylor
Team captains: Coretta Brown, Courtney Chambers, Jennifer Thomas
Sports information contact: Dana Gelin
Phone/email: (919) 962-0083/dgelin@uncaa.unc.edu
UNC athletics website: www.TarHeelBlue.com
UNC ticket office: (919) 962-2126, (800) 722-4335
Tickets
Tickets to UNC women's basketball games are $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors. There is no charge for admission for children 12 and under.
North Carolina students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their UNC One Cards.
Tickets may be purchased at the Carmichael Auditorium ticket window beginning one hour before the game or through the UNC ticket office by calling (919) 962-2296 or (800) 722-4335.
News of note
* UNC leads the series with Clemson 36-26 after winning the last three matchups and six of the past seven.
* The game against Clemson will be senior Coretta Brown's 100th career start and her 89th consecutive start, dating back to the beginning of her sophomore season. She has played in every game since she arrived at UNC, a total of 121 heading into Sunday's action.
* UNC is the only school in the conference with four players averaging in double figures. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest each have three.
* In ACC games only, Coretta Brown ranks among the ACC's top five in scoring (T3rd, 15.6), assists (2nd, 5.4), free throw percentage (4th, .822), steals (5th, 1.8), three-point percentage (2nd, .420), three pointers per game (1st, 2.8) and assist-turnover ratio (5th, 1.59). Duke's Iciss Tillis is the only other ACC player who ranks in the top five of seven categories.
* With a career total of 222 three-pointers, Coretta Brown now ranks seventh in ACC history. She needs six to take over sixth place in the ACC and second place in school history from former Tar Heel Stephanie Lawrence (227, 1992-95).
* Over the last seven games, all UNC wins, Coretta Brown has averaged 18.3 points and 5.6 assists in 37.7 minutes of play. During that span, beginning with the win at Western Michigan and following Carolina's overtime loss to Duke on Jan. 20, Brown is shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from three-point range.
* UNC's La'Tangela Atkinson leads all ACC freshmen in both scoring (10.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 per game). She ranks second among freshmen in steals and field goal percentage, and third in assists.
UNC's statistical leaders
Scoring: Coretta Brown (14.1 points per game)
Rebounding: La'Tangela Atkinson (8.5 per game)
Assists: Coretta Brown (4.8 per game)
Steals: Nikita Bell (2.7 per game)
Blocks: Candace Sutton (1.6 per game)
Minutes per game: Coretta Brown (34.0 per game)
Tar Heels in the NCAA statistical rankings
(Through games of Feb. 10)
Scoring offense: 12th (77.2 ppg.)
Scoring margin: 9th (19.0 ppg.)
Field goal percentage defense: 9th (34.8)
Rebounding margin: 3rd (11.1)
Assists: 23rd (17.3 per game)
Win-loss percentage: T4th (21-2, 91.3 percent)
Scouting the Clemson Lady Tigers
Clemson is 12-10 on the season and 4-7 in ACC play heading into Sunday's game at UNC. The Lady Tigers have been idle for a week, since beating Maryland 85-67 last Sunday. Freshman center Amanda White led the way in that game, scoring a career-high 21 points to earn ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
On the season, senior guard Chrissy Floyd leads Clemson in scoring with 16.3 points per game and is the only player averaging in double figures. Six others average five points a game or more, led by junior forward Julie Aderhold (8.3), White (7.7) and junior guard Lakeia Stokes (7.7). White is the team's top rebounder with 6.8 per game.
The Lady Tigers are coached by Jim Davis, who is 328-160 in his 16th season with the program.
The North Carolina-Clemson series
Sunday's game will be the 62nd meeting between UNC and Clemson in a series that dates back to the 1975-76 season. Carolina leads the series 36-26 after winning this year's first matchup, 77-55 in Clemson on Jan. 16.
UNC has won the last three meetings and six of the last seven. Clemson's last victory in the series was in the 2001 ACC Tournament, when the Lady Tigers won 75-57. Clemson's last win at Carmichael was on Jan. 10, 2000, 60-59. In 2001, the teams played into a second overtime at Carmichael before UNC won 100-99.
* Last year at Carmichael Auditorium (Feb. 14, 2002)
No. 22 UNC 86, Clemson 76
All five Carolina starters scored in double figures and the Tar Heels won by 10 after trailing 37-35 at halftime. UNC shot just 39.3 percent for the game to 49.2 by Clemson, but Carolina won the rebounding battle 41-34, 18-10 on the offensive boards.
Coretta Brown led UNC with 18 points on six three-pointers and Candace Sutton scored 16. Chrissy Floyd led Clemson with 24.
This year's first meeting
No. 8 North Carolina 77, Clemson 55 (Jan. 16, 2003)
CLEMSON, S.C. - Sophomore guard Leah Metcalf scored a season-high 21 points and junior center Candace Sutton added 15 as UNC picked up a road win against Clemson. Freshman forward La'Tangela Atkinson added 11 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Jennifer Thomas had eight points and a team-high eight rebounds, all in the first half.
UNC led 35-24 at halftime, but the Lady Tigers opened the second half with a 15-3 run to take a one-point lead (39-38) with 14:21 to play. With Clemson up 41-40, Carolina went on a run of its own, scoring the next 14 points to open up a double-digit lead. Sutton scored six consecutive points and totaled eight during that span of just over four minutes.
Tabitha Vasilas came off the bench to lead Clemson with 13 points and Chrissy Floyd scored 11.
Last time out: Feb. 13, 2003
No. 8 North Carolina 72, Florida State 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Jump-started by 57.7-percent shooting in the first half, North Carolina rolled to a 72-56 win over Florida State Thursday evening at Carmichael Auditorium. Senior guard Coretta Brown led the Tar Heels with 22 points for the second game in a row. She was 7-for-12 from the field and hit four three-pointers. She also led the team with seven assists. Sophomore Nikita Bell scored 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and junior Candace Sutton added 12 on 5-for-7 shooting. Freshman La'Tangela Atkinson came off the bench to lead UNC with 13 rebounds in 21 minutes of play.
Tasheika Morris was the only FSU player in double figures with 20 points. Katelyn Vujas grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Seminoles.
Florida State cut the margin to four points, 54-50, with 4:05 to play, but the Tar Heels scored the next eight points to boost their lead back to double digits.
UNC won the rebounding battle 42-38.
Best of the new kids
Before she had played a college game, UNC's La'Tangela Atkinson was voted the Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year. She has lived up to that billing and continues to make her case for the same honor in the postseason.
Heading into Sunday's game against Clemson, Atkinson leads all ACC freshmen in scoring (10.4 point) and rebounding (8.5). She ranks second in steals (1.6 per game), second in field goal percentage (.477) and third in assists (2.8 per game).
Atkinson also stacks up well against the conference's veterans. She is second in the league in rebounding and is tied for second in double-doubles with seven. She is 10th overall in field goal percentage and 16th in scoring.
Six times this season, Atkinson earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors outright or shared the honor with another player. No other player has earned the honor more than twice.
