University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
Tar Heels Win 72-60 At Virginia
February 12, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2006
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Ivory Latta had seen enough.
With Virginia closing to within five points, and the crowd at University Hall getting more and more excited, Latta made a statement play for No. 1 North Carolina.
Driving the length of the court for a layup, and then exhorting her team, Latta started a 13-3 run that lifted the Tar Heels past Virginia 72-60 Sunday night.
"I just felt like go ahead and take over and I've got to do that for my team and that's what I did," the speedy point guard said after scoring 18 points.
"I took advantage of the holes they were giving me."
Latta also dominated her matchup against Virginia floor leader Sharnee Zoll, who had nine points, eight rebounds and seven of Virginia's 25 turnovers.
"I think she's one of the best players in the country," Zoll said. "She never loses energy. She's the head of the snake for their team."
The Tar Heels (23-1, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) rebounded from their first loss, 98-95 in overtime against No. 6 Maryland on Thursday night, but the game was sloppy most of the way. The Tar Heels committed 20 turnovers.
But the number that stood out for Tar Heels coach Sylvia Hatchell was Virginia's 48-35 rebounding edge, including 25 offensive rebounds and 24 second-chance points.
"We have got some things to work on when we get back to Chapel Hill," she said.
In one stretch of the second half, during the Tar Heels' run, they went 0-for-3 from the floor and turned the ball over four times, but Virginia was in the midst of a 7-minute disaster in which it missed 10 of 11 shots and had eight turnovers.
"They're big, they have long arms and they kind of smother you," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "Nobody else in the country can put pressure on like they can."
Virginia (13-10, 2-9) lost its sixth straight overall, its eighth straight in the series, and finished a very challenging week. The Cavaliers lost 85-71 at No. 6 Maryland last Sunday, then fell 88-65 at No. 2 Duke on Thursday night.
"It was a very brutal stretch, but we took some steps forward," Ryan said, adding that the key will be using what they learned as they finish the regular season. The Cavaliers have four more games before the ACC tournament begins on March 2.
For a time Sunday night, Virginia made the Tar Heels sweat.
However, after the Cavaliers closed to 44-39, Latta drove the length of the floor for the layup, sparking the 13-3 burst that gave North Carolina the cushion it needed.
Camille Little added 16 points for North Carolina, and the Tar Heels' reserves outscored Virginia's 22-4. North Carolina also had a 26-14 edge at the foul line.
Tiffany Sardin led Virginia with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Siedah Williams added 14 and Takisha Granberry 12, but the Cavaliers shot 32 percent from the field.
Granberry missed 16 of 20 shots and guard Brenna McGuire was 1-for-7.
The Tar Heels led 39-24 at halftime after outscoring Virginia 24-10 over a span of 11 minutes. Latta had seven points and Dewitt six in the run, which continued in spite of a string of six consecutive scoreless possessions for North Carolina.
Virginia missed all eight of its 3-point shots in the half and also was dealt a huge blow when floor leader Sharnee Zoll drew her third foul 3:13 before halftime.
Zoll finished with nine points, eight rebounds and seven turnovers.
