No. 9 Tar Heels Host No. 1 Duke Monday
Dash to the Dome for the top-10 women's basketball matchup.
Jan. 22, 2005
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Tip-off
Coming off an overtime loss at Florida State on Thursday, the North Carolina women's basketball team returns home to host Tobacco Road-rival Duke on Monday evening. Tipoff at the Dean E. Smith Center is 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN2.
The Tar Heels are 14-3 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC after Thursday's 79-73 defeat, UNC's second loss in its last four games. Duke is 18-1 overall, 4-0 in the ACC, after Wednesday's 99-86 win at Wake Forest.
Carolina is ranked ninth in this week's Associated Press poll and sixth in the coaches' poll. Duke is No. 1 in both polls.
Up next
The Tar Heels play back-to-back home games for the first time in 2005, following Monday's game against Duke with a matchup with Wake Forest on Thursday. Tipoff at Carmichael Auditorium is 7 p.m.
On the air
The game between UNC and Duke will be televised nationally by ESPN2 and is available in high definition. Mark Jones will provide the play-by-play and Ann Meyers will add color commentary.
Monday's game also will air on the Tar Heel Radio Network, which includes 12 stations. WCHL-AM 1360 in Chapel Hill is the flagship. Jones Angell is the Tar Heels' play-by-play announcer and Adam Pohl is the color commentator.
Live stats are available on the UNC website, www.TarHeelBlue.com.
Tickets
General admission tickets to UNC women's basketball games are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. A limited number of reserved seats are also available at $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors.
Tickets may be purchased at the Smith Center ticket window prior to the game or through the UNC ticket office by calling (919) 962-2296 or (800) 722-HEEL.
North Carolina students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their UNC One Cards.
UNC at a glance
2004-05 record 14-3 (2-2 ACC)
Current rankings 9th A.P., 6th ESPN/USA Today
Head coach Sylvia Hatchell
Career record 668-265 (30th season)
Record at UNC 396-185 (19th season)
Assistant head coach Andrew Calder
Assistant coaches Tracey Williams, Charlotte Smith-Taylor
Media contact Dana Gelin
Gelin's phone/email (919) 962-0083/dgelin@uncaa.unc.edu
UNC athletics website www.TarHeelBlue.com
UNC ticket office (919) 962-2296, (800) 722-4335
Home arena Carmichael Auditorium (cap. 10,180)
Press row number (919) 843-9509
Briefly ...
UNC leads the series with Duke 36-28, but the Blue Devils have won the last 12 meetings and 15 of the last 16.
The Tar Heels are 2-2 against ranked teams this season, with wins over No. 4 Connecticut and No. 24 Villanova and losses to No. 21 Maryland and No. 24 FSU. Carolina is 0-19 all-time against teams that are ranked No. 1.
No current Carolina player has been part of a win over Duke.
Thursday's game, a 79-73 loss at Florida State, was UNC's first overtime contest since a 78-67 loss to Duke on Jan. 20, 2003.
Freshman forward Erlana Larkins is the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week. She earned the honor on Monday following last Friday's 23-point performance at NC State. The total was a career high for Larkins, who won the rookie honor for the second time this season.
The Tar Heels opened ACC play with three road games in their first four contests. UNC split games at Maryland and NC State then returned home to beat Miami before suffering an overtime loss at Florida State.
Ivory Latta missed her only free throw attempt against Miami on Jan. 17, snapping a streak of 18 consecutive makes. Her free throw percentage of .911 is the best in the ACC and her current streak of makes stands at two.
Erlana Larkins is the only UNC player to have scored in double figures in every game this season, with a career low of 10 points against UT-Martin on Dec. 2. Her 17-game double-figure scoring streak is tied for second in the ACC with two other players. Duke's Monique Currie has the longest streak at 19 games.
Carolina's top three scorers are a freshman (Erlana Larkins) and two sophomores (Ivory Latta, Camille Little). Between them, they account for 54 percent of the team's points.
For the first time in school history, UNC beat two ranked teams in the month of November. The Tar Heels won games against No. 4 Connecticut (Nov. 21) and Nov. 24 Villanova (Nov. 27).
The Tar Heels' win over No. 4 Connecticut was the program's first against a top-five team since UNC beat the Huskies in the 1994 East Region final to advance to the Final Four. UConn was ranked No. 4.
At the conference media day in October, North Carolina was picked as the preseason favorite to win this year's ACC title. The Tar Heels received 20 of 40 votes, two more than defending champion Duke. Ivory Latta and Camille Little were named to the Preseason All-ACC team.
UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in June. She is in her 30th season as a head coach.
Noting the numbers
UNC is 13-1 this season when outrebounding opponents, with the only loss coming Thursday at Florida State when Carolina won the rebounding battle 38-37 but lost the game 79-73 in overtime. The Tar Heels have been outrebounded in three of their five road games - a win at UNLV (38-33), a loss at Penn State (33-32) and a loss at Maryland (49-35).
Ivory Latta leads the team in minutes played with 31.8 per game. No other Tar Heel averages more than 28 minutes per game.
Three Tar Heels are scoring in double figures with one more just shy of that mark. Erlana Larkins leads the way with 15.9 points per game and Ivory Latta is next at 15.6. Camille Little is averaging 12.2 and La'Tangela Atkinson is close to double figures at 9.9. Nikita Bell is next with 8.5 per game.
Erlana Larkins is averaging 18.0 points against ACC opponents and has scored more than 20 in two of the last three games (23 at NC State, 21 at FSU).
Senior Nikita Bell reached the 1,000-career-points mark in the Jan. 17 game against Miami and now has 1,005 career points. She is the only player on this year's team who has reached that milestone.
With eight assists against FSU, senior Leah Metcalf moved into a tie for 25th on the ACC career chart. She is tied with Gretchen Hollifield (Wake Forest, 1993-96) with 453 career assists, sixth in UNC history.
North Carolina leads the ACC in three-point percentage defense (.254 by opponents), steals (14.4) and turnover margin (+7.29). Tar Heel players lead the way in field goal percentage (Erlana Larkins, .667), free throw percentage (Ivory Latta, .911), and assist/turnover ratio (Leah Metcalf, 2.18). Latta ranks second in three-pointers made with 2.59 per game.
UNC's statistical leaders
Scoring: Erlana Larkins, 15.9 ppg
Field goal percentage: Erlana Larkins, .667 (100-150)
Three-point percentage: Camille Little, .423 (11-26)
Free throw percentage: Ivory Latta, .911 (41-45)
Rebounding: La'Tangela Atkinson, 7.5 per game
Assists: Ivory Latta, 5.1 per game
Steals: Camille Little, 2.7 per game
Blocks: LaToya Pringle, 1.6 per game
Minutes: Ivory Latta, 31.8 per game
The UNC-Duke series
UNC and Duke will meet Monday for the 65th time in a series that dates back to the 1975-76 season, Carolina's second as a varsity program. The Tar Heels lead the series 36-28, but the Blue Devils have won the last 12 games and 15 of the last 16.
The teams have met three times in each of the last three years, with Duke winning in the ACC Tournament championship game in addition to the two regular-season meetings.
UNC's last victory in the series came in the 1999-2000 season, when the Tar Heels won 73-64 in Chapel Hill on Feb. 27, 2000. Duke beat Carolina in the ACC Championship that year to begin the current 12-game streak.
The teams have had only one common opponent thus far in the season. Duke beat Penn State 66-58 at home on Nov. 19 and UNC lost to the Lady Lions 77-71 in State College, Pa., on Dec. 5.
Duke and UNC have met in four of the last five ACC Tournament title games with Duke winning all four (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004).
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke is 18-1 on the season and 4-0 in the ACC following a 99-86 win at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils' lone loss this season came on Nov. 17 at Notre Dame, 76-65, and they have won 16 games in a row since then.
Junior Monique Currie leads the team in scoring with 17.9 points points per game. Also in double figures are Wanisha Smith (12.5 ppg), Mistie Williams (11.9 ppg) and Jessica Foley (10.7). Williams is the team's top rebounder with 7.9 boards per game and Currie is just behind her, averaging 7.6.
The team is coached by Gail Goestenkors, who is in her 13th season with the program.
Last year's meetings
Jan. 11, 2004: No. 1 Duke 79, No. 13 UNC 57
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Alana Beard had 22 points and No. 1 Duke used a late run to beat No. 13 North Carolina 79-57 for the Blue Devils' 500th victory.
Mistie Bass scored 18 points for the Blue Devils (13-1, 4-0 ACC), who improved to 500-300 in the program's 29 seasons. Monique Currie added 14 points and 15 rebounds for Duke, which has won 47 straight conference games.
Duke improved to 23-1 as the nation's top-ranked team, while the Tar Heels (13-2, 3-1) fell to 0-18 against No. 1 teams.
Freshman Ivory Latta had 17 points to lead North Carolina, which has lost 10 straight and 13 of 14 to Duke.
Duke had won the last two meetings here by 20 and 34 points, but the Tar Heels stayed with the Blue Devils most of the way Sunday. The Blue Devils scored 16 straight points late, shutting down the Tar Heels and getting strong play from Bass inside, to put the game out of reach.
During that run, Duke held the Tar Heels without a field goal for the final 7:51. Duke scored 25 of the game's final 28 points and held the Tar Heels to 29 percent shooting.
Latta and Little combined for 11 points during a 21-10 run to open the second half, erasing a 38-27 halftime deficit and tying it at 48 with about 10 minutes left. But the Blue Devils went ahead to stay when Beard found Lindsey Harding for a 3-pointer and a 57-54 lead with 6:40 left.
Feb. 14, 2004: No. 4 Duke 89, No. 15 UNC 79
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Vicki Krapohl scored a career-high 20 points and went 6-for-10 from 3-point range to lead fourth-ranked Duke over No. 15 North Carolina 89-79.
Alana Beard scored a game-high 31 points for the Blue Devils (20-3, 11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who reached the 20-victory plateau for the seventh straight season. The Blue Devils earned their 11th straight win over the Tar Heels (18-5, 8-4), who got 25 points from freshman Ivory Latta.
In her last three games, Krapohl has hit 12 of 21 3-point attempts. She also had four assists and one steal with no turnovers in 28 minutes against the Tar Heels.
It was just the second time the teams have met in the 21,750-seat Smith Center, home to the Tar Heels' men's basketball team. The game drew 10,278, a record crowd for a North Carolina women's home game.
Duke evened its record there thanks to steady outside shooting and the play of Beard and Krapohl. The Blue Devils shot 48 percent and went 12-for-23 from 3-point range. That offset the Tar Heels' 43-30 rebounding advantage - including a 20-13 edge on the offensive glass - and 46 percent shooting.
"When they shoot 3s like they shoot, it's hard to win," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "They did have some open looks. But some of them were with our hands in their face."
While Krapohl helped the Blue Devils to a double-digit lead, Beard maintained it with momentum-killing shots in the second half. Beard went 9-for-16, including a 4-for-5 effort from 3-point range.
Beard, Krapohl and fellow senior Iciss Tillis combined for 65 points, providing veteran leadership against a North Carolina team led by freshmen Latta and Camille Little.
Little, the Tar Heels' leading scorer at 14 points per game, scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half and finished with nine rebounds.
Krapohl hit three 3s in the first half, including one during a 12-1 Duke run to close the first half that gave the Blue Devils a 40-32 lead at the break.
Krapohl then hit 3s on two straight possessions after the break. The second gave the Blue Devils a 50-36 lead with 16:40 to play and forced the Tar Heels to call a timeout.
Duke led by as many as 15 points before the Tar Heels made a run, closing to 73-65 on a 3 from Leah Metcalf with 7:09 to play.
But Beard hit a driving layup as the shot clock expired to push the lead back to 10 points. She then responded to a jumper from Metcalf with a 3 as the shot clock ticked down, pushing the lead to 78-67 with 5:06 left.
The Tar Heels later closed to seven on a 3 from Metcalf, but Beard drained a 3 from the left wing to make it 81-71 with 3:57 to play.
North Carolina got no closer than six points thereafter.
March 8, 2004: No. 1 Duke 63, No. 9 UNC 47
GREENSBORO, N.C. - (AP) No. 1 Duke celebrated its return to the top of the college basketball poll Monday by embarrassing No. 9 North Carolina, 63-47 to win its record fifth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title.
Tillis, Beard and Vicki Krapohl, all Duke seniors, capped their ACC careers unbeaten in tournament play.
Tillis grabbed her second-straight tournament MVP award by shaking off misses on her first three shots to dominate inside with easy layups before fouling out with just under two minutes to play. Tillis also scored 26 and 11 points in two earlier round games.
Duke used a smothering defense on North Carolina to beat the Tar Heels for the 12th-straight time and deny them their first ACC tournament title since 1998.
North Carolina appeared in nine of the last 11 finals, and coach Sylvia Hatchell made the Tar Heels stay on the court and watch Duke celebrate.
"I am very proud to have played for nine of the last 11, but I wanted the team to stay out there so they can see what happens," Hatchell said. "We've gotten close, but it's been five years and this is a young team that needed to visualize what it's like to cut down the nets."
North Carolina, which averages 74 points a game, struggled both inside and outside while scoring a season low in points. The Tar Heels' previous low was 54 in a February loss to North Carolina State.
After falling behind by 15 several times, the Tar Heels made it a game with a 7-0 run that cut it to 40-32 with 9:35 to play.
Duke called a timeout to quickly regroup, and came out of it refocused and intent on putting the game away. The Blue Devils reeled off a 10-0 run behind consecutive fast-break baskets from Alana Beard that pushed their lead back to 50-32.
That sealed it for the frustrated Tar Heels, who were 0-for-9 from 3-point range, failed to score any fast-break points and were outscored in the paint 42-28.
Candace Sutton led North Carolina with 13 points, but the talented freshman duo of Ivory Latta and Camille Little combined to go 6-for-29 for 16 points a day after they combined to score 51 points in a semifinal victory over North Carolina State.
Mistie Bass went 7-for-7 for 16 points for Duke and Beard finished with 15 points.
Tar Heel women at the Smith Center
Monday's game will mark the 23rd time that the North Carolina women's team has hosted a game at the Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels are 13-9 all-time in the facility.
UNC defeated Old Dominion at this Smith Center earlier this season, 79-55 on Dec. 30. The Tar Heels' last ACC game at the Smith Center was on Feb. 14, 2004, when they lost to Duke 89-79.
Carolina and Duke have met twice at the Smith Center. UNC won 68-64 there on Feb. 20, 1988. Duke won 89-79 on Feb. 14, 2004.
The UNC women first played at the Smith Center on Jan. 13, 1987, losing 82-76 to NC State during Sylvia Hatchell's first season as the Tar Heels' coach.
Tar Heels vs. No. 1
Monday's game will be North Carolina's 20th against a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. The Tar Heels are 0-19 all-time against top-ranked teams, with the last three matchups against a No. 1 team coming vs. Duke:
Jan. 20, 2003: No. 1 Duke 78, No. 8 UNC 67, OT (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Jan. 11, 2004: No. 1 Duke 79, No. 13 UNC 57 (Durham, N.C.)
March 8: 2004: No. 1 Duke 63, No. 9 UNC 47 (Greensboro, N.C. - ACC Tourn.)
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