University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Coastal Carolina
No. 3 North Carolina Tops Coastal Carolina
December 17, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2007
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) -- LaToya Pringle had season highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 3 North Carolina past Coastal Carolina, 82-58, Monday night.
The Tar Heels (11-1) victory was anything but easy, their 24-point lead cut in half down the stretch in their latest visit to the Grand Strand.
However, North Carolina's front line, led by Pringle, made sure this wasn't a beach trip to forget.
Rashanda McCants had 18 points and Erlana Larkins 14 points as the Tar Heels won their seventh straight in this beach community. They can add to that on Thursday night when they take on Western Kentucky as part of The Carolina Challenge at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Coastal Carolina (7-3) trailed 57-33 on the 6-foot-3 Pringle's inside bucket with 12:43 to go. But the Lady Chanticleers' 23-10 run over the next seven minutes made things uncomfortable for the favored Tar Heels.
Freshman guard Italee Lucas regained control for North Carolina with a foul shot and a 3-pointer, extending the lead to 71-56.
McCants, North Carolina's leading scorer this season, finished the game with a bandage on her forehead after a hard fall to the floor that opened a cut. She spent several minutes face down with trainers bringing out towels to wipe up the blood.
After some time on the bench cleaning up, McCants returned.
Lacey Lyons had 14 points to lead Coastal Carolina.
The Tar Heels have been at the Grand Strand since Saturday, mixing in some holiday shopping with hoops practice. They'll remain on South Carolina's coast until after Thursday's contest with Western Kentucky, part of a college double header played amid a girls' prep tournament in Myrtle Beach.
North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell loves her time at the beach. She spent 11 seasons coaching Francis Marion, about an hour's drive west in Florence, before moving to North Carolina in 1986.
And she's brought her team to this resort area each year since 1994-95, usually leaving with some nice memories and a victory or two.
The Tar Heels improved to 19-4 all-time along the Strand and haven't lost since Dec. 2001.
North Carolina showed some signs of its eight-day layoff since beating Wofford by 60 points on Dec. 9. The Tar Heels had four turnovers the first five minutes and, after Kate Jasinski's 3-pointer and Katie White's inside basket, trailed 14-8.
Then North Carolina went on a 20-5 run to take control. McCants had two baskets and Lucas a 3-pointer during the charge that put the Tar Heels up 28-19.
They fell into a scoring funk after that, going almost six minutes without a basket.
McCants ended the drought with a 3-pointer and Cetera DeGraffenreid added two foul shots to send North Carolina into the break ahead 34-24.
Coastal had trouble sticking with the stronger Tar Heels. The Lady Chanticleers had four chances from within 2 feet of the basket during one possession yet failed to score, ending with Pringle's block on White.
