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No. 10 Tar Heels Reach ACC Finals With 75-64 Win Over NC State
March 7, 2004 | Women's Basketball
March 7, 2004
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By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writer
GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina's freshman duo carried the Tar Heels into the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship game.
Ivory Latta scored 27 points and Camille Little added 24 Sunday to lift No. 10 North Carolina past North Carolina State 75-64 in the semifinals.
Latta hit five 3-pointers for the second-seeded Tar Heels (24-5), who advanced to face Duke in the championship game Monday night. The top-seeded Blue Devils beat Maryland 70-63, and will look to beat the Tar Heels in the final for the fourth time in five years.
Little and Latta combined to shoot 18-for-30, while the rest of the Tar Heels shot just 5-for-19 against the third-seeded Wolfpack (17-14).
"Even though they're freshmen, they're actually leading our team," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said.
Little was named the league's rookie of the year this week after averaging 14 points and a league-best 8.2 rebounds in the regular season. Her roommate, Latta, finished second for the rookie award by averaging 13.9 points and 3.9 assists.
N.C. State had no answer for them. The Wolfpack was without starting point guard Kendra Bell - sitting out with mononucleosis, which caused problems matching up with the 5-foot-6 guard that Hatchell calls "Little General."
The Wolfpack had no one that could handle the 6-1 Little inside.
"It's a pretty incredible feat for the two of them to score that way," N.C. State coach Kay Yow said.
Little had 11 points and nine rebounds in her tournament debut in a quarterfinal win against Virginia, but also committed eight turnovers. On Sunday, she had no turnovers while pulling down five rebounds in 35 minutes.
"I think I was thinking a little too much about the game instead of letting it come to me," Little said. "That's what I did tonight. I didn't rush into the game and try to do too much."
Little had a three-point play and two baskets inside during a 21-8 run that broke a tie game and gave North Carolina a 63-50 lead. Latta added two 3-pointers and a shot-clock beating jumper in the lane.
"I think there's been other games where we played well," Latta said. "But the ACC tournament is a little bit more important."
Marquetta Dickens scored 20 points to lead N.C. State. Kaayla Chones had 45 points and 25 rebounds in two regular-season games against the Tar Heels, but finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
 Ivory Latta gives a thumbs up to a teammate as she dribbles off the final seconds of North Carolina's 75-64 win over NC State.  |
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The teams were tied at 42 early in the second half, but North Carolina went ahead to stay on Candace Sutton's inside score off a feed from Leah Metcalf. Little followed with a layup and Latta hit the shot just before the shot clock to cap a 6-0 spurt in 90 seconds.
Latta added a 3-pointer for a 51-44 lead with 12:26 to play.
Little then came up with three big shots to extend the lead.
She banked in a shot in the lane and completed a three-point play, then pulled in a high pass from Nikita Bell and scored another basket inside despite being fouled.
She followed with a spectacular effort, beating Alvine Mendeng for an offensive rebound, then scoring on a reverse layup that bounced high off the glass and in for a 58-50 lead with 8:30 to play.
"She was just real aggressive in the post and she just took it to us," Chones said. "She's got a great pivot foot and we just had a little bit of trouble sliding with her every time she would make a move."
After two free throws from Kenya McBee, Latta drained a straightaway 3 to push the lead to 13 with 7:40 left. N.C. State got no closer than five points after that.
The Wolfpack missed 13 of 16 shots to open the second half and shot just 35 percent for the game.
