University of North Carolina Athletics
Brownlow: One Possession Short
March 2, 2012 | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2012
By Lauren Brownlow
In a game where every possession counted, the Tar Heels came up about an inch short on a Brittany Rountree desperation heave at the buzzer that would have won it.
Carolina took a one-point lead with 2:06 to go, but wouldn't lead again. Georgia Tech went up by one at the shot-clock buzzer on its next possession and then Georgia Tech got two straight back-breaking offensive rebounds as the shot clock wound down, eating 1:05 off the clock and leaving just six seconds.
So while Carolina won the battle of the boards and fought hard all afternoon, if just one rebound had fallen into their hands in that final 1:11, the game could have had a different outcome.
"One possession, one rebound, one foul, one thing here or there and it would have been a different story here. I really felt like that we were going to win this game, but I'm proud of them for fighting hard and battling the way they did," head coach Sylvia Hatchell said.
Bodies flying everywhere, neither team would give an inch (literally) to the other around the basket or on the perimeter. The two stars in the paint, Chay Shegog and Georgia Tech's Sasha Goodlet, combined to shoot 5-of-16 from the floor.
It is the kind of game that felt like an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 type of intensity. And that kind of a game requires upperclassmen to step up, which they did.
Shegog struggled - waiting for the customary double teams to come, Georgia Tech instead chose to make sure Carolina's cutters couldn't get open. So senior She'la White and junior Tierra Ruffin-Pratt responded by playing 37 minutes each and scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.
"I used my timeouts to rest them," Hatchell said (four Tar Heels played 34 or more minutes). "Several weeks ago, I made a commitment to the seniors and the juniors, and I decided to go with those guys. I've always had a lot of respect for the upperclassmen and especially when it comes to Tournament time."
And Tournament time is normally when the Tar Heels excel. It felt like destiny that they would win this game. Everything was going their way, particularly early on when their aggressiveness allowed them to take a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes.
She'la White scored first for Carolina, which seemed like a good omen. She had missed a number of open three's over the last few games, and her first attempt bounced up in the air off the rim twice before falling through the basket. She had six of Carolina's first ten points and assisted on another lay-up.
"It helped me tremendously. I've been struggling with my shooting all season, but coming into this game I hit my first two two shots which helped a lot, confidence-wise," White said.
Just as Carolina got that bounce, though, other lay-ups hung precariously on the rim before falling harmlessly off the side. Carolina could finally break Georgia Tech's tricky full-court press, but they couldn't score in the halfcourt when the Yellow Jackets were able to get back. Georgia Tech got the favorable bounces late as both of their misses in the final minute were a few inches away from being secured by Tar Heels.
But it wasn't meant to be. The Tar Heels will have to wait and see if the NCAA deems them worthy of NCAA Tournament inclusion, but all they can do is wait. They've done all they can, and while this win would have helped, it wouldn't have cemented anything.
"I think looking forward to the NCAA Tournament, we've got to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time and one game at a time," Tierra Ruffin-Pratt said. It sounds cliche, but for this injury-laden bunch that has suffered through so much misfortune already, it's how they've had to exist as a team this season. It's the only way they've gotten through all the disappointment and frustration.
