University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Close Regular Season With NCCU Sunday
March 13, 2010 | Women's Basketball
March 13, 2010
CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina (18-11) plays its final regular season game of the year Sunday when the Tar Heels welcome area foe North Carolina Central to Carmichael Arena for a 3:30 p.m. matchup. Carolina lost to Maryland in the first round of the ACC Tournament, 83-77, on March 4, while NCCU (11-17) is coming off a 62-58 win over Seattle University on March 7. Both teams are unranked.
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 18-11, North Carolina Central 11-17
Rankings: North Carolina is receiving votes in the AP poll. NCCU is unranked.
TV: Today's game is available live and on-demand via Carolina All-Access at tarheelblue.cstv.com/allaccess/.
Radio: None.
On The Web: TarHeelBlue.com (UNC), NCCUeaglepride.com (NCCU)
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina is 2-0 all-time against NCCU, with the both meetings coming in Chapel Hill.
• The 2007 matchup was the season opener for both teams and NCCU's first game as a Division I school.
• UNC's 109-32 win over the Lady Eagles in 2007 was Carolina's largest-ever win.
• The two teams last met Feb. 1 of last year, with the Tar Heels winning 98-45.
NOTING THE LADY EAGLES
• North Carolina Central is 11-17 on the season following a 62-58 win over Seattle University on March 7.
• The Lady Eagles are led in scoring by freshman guard Joanna Miller, who averages 19.0 points per game.
• Senior forward Latoya Bennett is second in scoring (9.9 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (7.4 rpg).
CAROLINA IN CARMICHAEL
• Carolina returned to Carmichael Dec. 29 after a year and a half absence, during which the Tar Heels won 25 of 26 games at the Dean E. Smith Center.
• UNC is 380-86 (.815) all-time in Carmichael, its primary home since the first varsity season of 1974-75.
• Prior to the most recent renovation, the Tar Heels were on quite a roll in the historic gym. Beginning with the 2001-02 season, Carolina posted a 103-6 home record in Carmichael.
LAST TIME OUT
March 4: Maryland 83, UNC 77
GREENSBORO --- Lynetta Kizer had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead ninth-seeded Maryland (19-11) to an 83-77 win over eighth-seeded North Carolina Thursday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum. Tianna Hawkins added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the defending champion, while Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 23 points to lead the Tar Heels.
LUCAS, DeGRAFFENREID EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
North Carolina junior guards Italee Lucas and Cetera DeGraffenreid were named to the three All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, league commissioner John Swofford announced Monday. Lucas, who is sixth in the league in scoring with 15.4 points per game, was named to the second team, while DeGraffenreid, who led the league in assist-turnover ratio, was named to the third team.
Lucas, who has earned league honors for the first time, was averaging a team-high 15.4 points per game entering the ACC Tournament. The Las Vegas, Nev., product is sixth in the league in three-pointers made, eighth in free-throw percentage and 14th in three-point percentage. One of the more explosive scorers in the ACC, Lucas has tallied 20 or more points in eight games.
DeGraffenreid, a repeat member of the third team, leads the Tar Heels in assists and steals. A native of Cullowhee, N.C., DeGraffenreid was eighth in the league in scoring with 13.6 points per game entering the ACC Tournament and finished the regular season second in the ACC in assists, fourth in steals and first in assist-turnover ratio.
CAROLINA IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS
The most recent NCAA statistics report was released on March 12, and the Tar Heels are highly ranked in a number of categories. UNC is among the nation's top 10 in three-point field goal defense. Here are the categories that feature Carolina in the top 25 (all stats per game):
• Three-point Field Goal Defense - 4th (25.2)
• Blocks - 11th (5.8)
• Scoring - 14th (76.1)
• Steals - 25th (10.7)
DeGRAFFENREID, LUCAS JOIN 1,000-POINT CLUB
With seven points in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 29, junior Cetera DeGraffenreid became the 31st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. She currently stands 24th overall with 1,249 points. Junior Italee Lucas reached the milestone with six points against Duke on Feb. 8. Lucas currently stands 30th overall with 1,079 points.
ROLLE ENDS REGULAR SESAON AS LEAGUE'S TOP SHOT-BLOCKER
Freshman forward/center Waltiea Rolle is already establishing herself as one of the top defensive forces in the ACC. With one blocks against Maryland on March 4, the Nassau, Bahamas, freshman currently has 69 blocked shots, good for first in the league and 21st in the NCAA. Rolle, who has blocked a shot in every game this season, is just 15 blocks shy of Dawn Royster's UNC freshman record of 84, set during the 1983-84 season.
