University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 25 Tar Heels Return Home To Face No. 5 Maryland
January 7, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2012
CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina will look for its sixth-straight win Sunday when the Tar Heels host No. 5 Maryland at 1 p.m. at Carmichael Arena. Carolina enters the contest 12-2 on the year and 2-0 in league play after a 78-73 double-overtime win over Virginia on Thursday. Maryland is 15-0 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC after beating Georgia Tech, 77-74, on Friday night. UNC is ranked No. 25 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the coaches' poll. Maryland is ranked No. 5 in both polls.
AT A GLANCE
Sunday, Jan. 8, 1:05 p.m. • Carmichael Arena (6,822) • Chapel Hill, N.C.
Records: North Carolina 12-2 (2-0 ACC), Maryland 15-0 (2-0)
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 25 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Maryland is ranked No. 5 in both polls.
TV: ACC Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports Carolinas in the Chapel Hill area). Mike Hogewood (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) have the call.
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Walter Storholt (play-by-play) has the call.
On The Web: TarHeelBlue.com • Twitter: @UNCWBB
MARYLAND SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina is 36-33 all-time against Maryland, including a 20-8 mark in Chapel Hill.
• Maryland won the lone meeting in 2011, an 88-65 Terrapin victory in College Park.
• After meeting just once in the regular season during each of the last six campaigns, Carolina and Maryland return to playing a home-and-home series in 2012. The two teams met at least twice every season beginning in 1983 until 2005.
• Carolina won the last meeting in Chapel Hill, 75-64, in 2010. The Terps have won two straight in the series - an 83-77 victory in the 2010 ACC Tournament and last year's triumph in College Park.
TAR HEELS IN CARMICHAEL ARENA
• Carolina is 405-89 all-time in Carmichael, including a 32-6 record since the building re-opened after being closed for renovations from March 2008 to December 2009.
• The Tar Heels have won at least 14 home games in each of the last 10 seasons, including a school-record 18 during an undefeated 2007-08 home campaign.
• UNC has lost just 15 home games since the start of the 2001-02 season. The Tar Heels have been even more stingy against non-conference opponents, losing at home just twice outside of league play in the last decade.
LAST TIME OUT: No. 25 UNC 78, Virginia 73 (2 OT)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. --- Krista Gross' driving layup with 40 seconds left in the second overtime period lifted No. 25 North Carolina to a 78-73 win over Virginia Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena. After Gross put the Tar Heels up 75-73, Carolina got defensive stops on back-to-back possessions and made 3 of 4 from the foul line to finally put it away.
HATCHELL APPROACHING 600 WINS AT CAROLINA
Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time national coach of the year Sylvia Hatchell is just one win away from joining yet another exclusive coaching club. With one more Carolina victory, Hatchell (currently 599-225) will reach 600 wins since taking over in Chapel Hill in 1986. Already one of just five coaches in Division I history with 800 career victories, Hatchell is looking to become just the third coach in ACC history to earn 600 wins at a league school, joining NC State's Kay Yow and Virginia's Debbie Ryan.
SHEGOG THRIVING AS A SENIOR
Center Chay Shegog is having a stellar final season in Chapel Hill. The senior from Stafford, Va., leads the league in scoring with 17.7 points per game and also has tallied a league-best seven double-doubles. In her most recent outing, Shegog played a career-high 49 minutes and finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Virginia. After averaging 8.9 ppg as a junior, Shegog has had the second-highest scoring improvement (+8.8) in the ACC this season.
