University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Makes Power Move In Poll
November 23, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2004
Coming off their biggest win in a decade, fifth-ranked North Carolina will look to avoid a letdown when it takes on visiting Charleston Southern on Tuesday.
The Tar Heels closed with a 16-5 run to upset three-time defending national champion Connecticut 71-65 on Sunday in the Jimmy V Classic. The loss was the Huskies' earliest since 1995, and allowed the Tar Heels to make a big move in the poll this week from No. 9 last week.
The victory was North Carolina's first over a top-5 team since a win over then-No. 4 Connecticut in the East Region final of the 1994 NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels went on to win the national championship.
"This is a big win, but it's so early in the season," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "Things change between now and March, but this is certainly a big one for us."
Ivory Latta finished with 16 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with less than two minutes to play for North Carolina (2-0). Erlana Larkins had 14 points and Camille Little added 13 for the Tar Heels.
Latta, who averaged 16.5 points and shot 57.9 percent (11-for-19) in North Carolina's first two games, was named Atlantic Coast Conference player of the week on Monday.
North Carolina was picked to win the ACC this season, the first time since 1999 a team other than Duke was predicted to win the league. Now the Tar Heels beat powerful Connecticut with a team loaded with underclassmen.
Could this again be their year? Hatchell is cautiously optimistic.
"I just think we have a good team with great balance and great chemistry," Hatchell said.
The series between North Carolina and Charleston Southern has been completely one-sided, with the Tar Heels winning all five meetings by an average of 43.2 points.
Coached by former North Carolina player Stephanie Lawrence Yelton, Charleston Southern opened its season with a 75-56 loss to the College of Charleston on Friday.
Yelton, a member of the Tar Heels' 1994 national championship team, watched as her team shot 38.5 percent from the floor in losing for the 18th time in its last 29 games dating to the beginning of last season.
Lakeshia Bryant led Charleston Southern with 17 points. Erica McCoy added 12.
