University of North Carolina Athletics
Brownlow: Playing With Pain
March 9, 2008 | Women's Basketball
March 9, 2008
By Lauren Brownlow
When Carolina played the first half with its two post threats, Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle, combining for 11 points on 2-of-12 shooting, it would seem that the Tar Heels would be in trouble. Rashanda McCants had eight of Carolina's first 11 points in the first four minutes and then went down with a turned ankle at the 13:12 mark. She was visibly wincing in pain on the sideline and things certainly looked questionable for Carolina.
"The trainers just taped it up real tight and I told them, `Give me some medicine and I'll be back out there, some Tylenol or something,'" McCants said.
Virginia was content to zone Carolina, packing it inside, trying to force someone other than LaToya Pringle or Erlana Larkins to beat them. McCants had no problem with that. At the 5:33 mark, she missed a three-pointer that the Cavaliers pretty much stood back and let her take, then went into the fray, got her own rebound and put it back in.
On the next possession, she made another open three (Carolina's only three-pointer of the game) and it was on. It was 21-20 when she started her scoring barrage and after she scored 11 of Carolina's next 19 points in the final 5:33, Carolina let 40-31 at halftime.
"She's a 6-1 guard and most of the time, she's bigger than anybody that she's playing against, so that's a real advantage for her. We can post her up. She can shoot three's and she also can drive. She's an all-around player and you've got to be very good to defend her," LaToya Pringle said. "It was a big relief. I know a lot of people are trying to focus so much on me and Erlana - playing zone, double-teaming, or playing physical. But she took it upon herself to get easy scores. I think she was more confident when she hit her first couple of shots to just keep on taking it to them."
And Virginia did, indeed, attempt to get into the heads of both Pringle and Larkins. There was all kinds of what Pringle termed "extracurricular activity" going on. Any time either Pringle or Larkins got the ball in the post, they were immediately greeted by 2-3 Cavaliers. But as Roy Williams says, you should not take what the defense gives you, as football coaches say, but instead take what you want. Neither Pringle nor Larkins was going to back down.
Pringle came out in the second half and hit 5-of-8 shots from the field, scoring 12 of her 15 points in the second half. She also had five blocks, putting her five away from tying the all-time career record at Carolina and six away from breaking it, which she would prefer to do - tomorrow, in fact.
Larkins and Virginia's Aisha Mohammed had a particularly interesting battle going on. As Larkins was going to take the ball out early in the first half, Mohammed appeared to shove her. Larkins just stood back and surveyed the situation, laughing to herself. It was just another day at the office for Larkins.
"I don't think it affected me. Honestly, I was out there having fun. You've got to do something. You can't let me post up. You have to do something with me - push, hold my jersey. So she got out there and I was trying to take the ball out and she was pushing me in the back. I could do nothing but smile because it's all a part of the game," Larkins said. "I'm expecting something night in and night out. If you're not physical with me, then I'm just going to run you over, honestly."
Though her response elicited laughter from the media contingency, Larkins was completely serious, and not in a cocky or an arrogant way. She is the rare player that is completely aware of just how great she can be on any given night but does not let it get into her head.
Rebecca Gray's head was still a bit cloudy and sore from her injury during yesterday's game against Clemson. The freshmen wore sunglasses on the bench because of the way light was affecting her, but Trinity Bursey stepped up in her absence, playing nine minutes, scoring two points and pulling down three rebounds.
But the highlight of Carolina's bench has been ACC Sixth Player of the Year Jessica Breland. The sophomore has 11-of-19 shots in the ACC Tournament on her way to 24 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and five blocks in 43 minutes. She had 15 against Virginia. Carolina's bench out-scored Virginia's 21-1.
Teams can try to shut down Erlana Larkins, but LaToya Pringle will still be there. They can try to shut down both Larkins and Pringle, but Carolina still has McCants, Cetera DeGraffenreid, and Jessica Breland. Italee Lucas can come in and get a few steals. When healthy, Rebecca Gray can hit some three-pointers, as can Heather Claytor.
Now, Sylvia Hatchell's Tar Heels will play in their seventh straight ACC Tournament Championship game (13th appearance in the last 15 years), and a chance to win their fourth straight title. Carolina will face Duke, a team that defeated it in the finals from 2002-04 until Carolina broke through and beat them in 2005. Carolina has not faced Duke in the finals since.
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
