University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Western Kentucky
No. 3 North Carolina Wins Big, 93-60
December 20, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2007
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) -- Rashanda McCants had 19 points, rebounding from a bloody fall earlier in the week to lead No. 3 North Carolina to a 93-60 victory over Western Kentucky on Thursday night.
McCants caught an elbow in the forehead from teammate LaToya Pringle in Monday night's 82-58 win at nearby Coastal Carolina. McCants was face first on the court as trainers and doctors cleaned up the blood.
McCants needed stitches to close up the wound. North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said then the fall would only toughen McCants up -- and the Tar Heels' leading scorer played like it against the Lady Toppers (6-4).
McCants had five points during a 14-6 first-half run that put North Carolina (12-1) ahead 31-20. She later added a jumper and a 3-pointer as the Tar Heels went on a 10-2 run to start the second half and grab a 53-30 lead.
Then after Western Kentucky cut things to 55-42 on Kenzie Rich's second straight 3-pointer, McCants scored the next seven points to regain control for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina won its eighth consecutive game in this beach resort and improved to 20-4 on the Grand Strand.
Cyrstal Kelly led Western Kentucky with 18 points and became the Lady Toppers' all-time leading scorer. Kelly surpassed the 2,262 points of Lillie Mason, who played at Western from 1982-86. Kelly is just 18 points shy of the Sun Belt Conference's career mark held by South Alabama's Adrian Vickers.
North Carolina has played at the Grand Strand each season since 1994 and hasn't lost at this beach resort since 2001. Besides the shopping and a break after exams, the annual trip is a chance for the Tar Heels to display their star-studded program to a swooning group of potential prospects on hand for a holiday prep tournament.
This one was no different. There were shrieks at North Carolina's introductions. When McCants spun past Rich for a layup, there were loud "Oooohs" from the convention center crowd.
Even ex-North Carolina star Ivory Latta -- a South Carolina native -- couldn't stay away. The energetic WNBA guard was on a break from her pro team in Israel and on hand to watch her old teammates.
Cetera DeGraffenreid had 16 points and six assists for North Carolina. Erlana Larkins added 13 points.
When the Tar Heels couldn't get going at first on offense, they let their defense handle things.
Western Kentucky hit its first two shots, then went 1-of-12 over the next seven minutes as North Carolina moved in front.
LaToya Pringle and Jessica Breland had two buckets each to put the Tar Heels ahead 14-6. McCants had consecutive jumpers, and Rebecca Gray a 3-pointer to make it 26-16.
DeGraffenreid shot just 1-of-6 from the field in the Coastal Carolina victory. This time, she closed the half strongly with two jumpers, then stood strong on a charge by Western's Hope Brown.
