University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Jackets Can't Keep Pace
February 2, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 2, 2003
By Adam Lucas
It's possible to keep up with this year's Carolina team for 10 minutes.
Maybe even 15. Sunday afternoon, Georgia Tech actually pulled it off for over 30 minutes of an ACC contest at Carmichael Auditorium.
But with about nine minutes to play, the Tar Heels' spidery defense finally began to take its toll. The game-clinching run began with a Chrystal Baptist running one-hander that stretched the lead to eight points, and in what seemed like a heartbeat later--long enough for a Candace Sutton free throw, Leah Metcalf breakaway layup, Sutton post move, and a Baptist three-point play--the Heels had, poof, finished off a 10-0 run and, essentially, finished off the Jackets with 6:43 to play on their way to a 76-64 victory.
What made the run even more impressive was the fact that senior leader Coretta Brown was on the bench for its entirety, having been removed in favor of Metcalf just before the spurt began.
It's difficult to find many teams who can remove their acknowledged star and proceed to slam the door on an ACC opponent. But while this year's Heels don't have the superstar who makes television announcers and newspaper writers gush, they are a legitimate eleven deep and capable of getting a big offensive night from at least five different players. Defensively, that versatility has a way of wearing down the opposition.
"Carolina is a very athletic team," said Georgia Tech's Sonja Mallory, who was hampered by foul trouble. "I'm used to playing teams where I can jump higher than the other person and get to the ball quicker."
A lot of teams are going to have that problem against the sixth-ranked Heels, who have lost just two games all season. At one point in the second half, the 6-foot-2 Baptist was guarding Tech's 5-foot-11 point guard, Mallorie Winn, and didn't appear to be giving away much quickness.
So if the post player was guarding the point guard, what were the guards doing? Rebounding, of course. La'Tangela Atkinson, a hybrid guard/forward, finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, Coretta Brown hauled down four, and even 5-foot-7 waterbug Leah Metcalf pulled in five boards.
"We've got guards and wing players who would rather rebound than eat," Hatchell said.
That's what helped the Heels to a nine-rebound advantage over the Jackets, who had been neck-and-neck with Carolina for the ACC team rebounding lead.
There had been an undercurrent of dissatisfaction around Chapel Hill with Carolina's most recent victories. A three-point comeback victory at Western Michigan and 20-point win at home against Virginia Thursday night were deemed "ugly" by some observers.
Sunday's, not that it matters, was a little more artistic.
"I think this one was better than the past few we had before this," Metcalf said. "We've been working on our stuff and we'll continue improving."
The truth is that it doesn't matter. The Heels now stand 8-1 in the league and 18-2 overall, having lost by three points to Oklahoma in Hawaii and in overtime at home to Duke. They are a legitimate Final Four contender, overlooked locally because of the fascination with Duke but completely capable of putting together the defensive effort necessary to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
The schedule the rest of the way is favorable. The Heels have four ACC home games remaining, and their longest road trip left on the schedule is a quick trip to Charlottesville in the season finale. Hatchell still has plenty of time to experiment with lineups and chemistry, plenty of time to tweak her team's trademark defense.
For now, and probably until they have their rematch with the Blue Devils on Feb. 20, this group of Tar Heels will continue to be Chapel Hill's best-kept secret. Come March, however, the women's basketball world may begin to discover exactly what the Yellow Jackets already know--that it's very difficult to keep pace with this Carolina team.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
