Carolina Erases 16-Point Deficit to Beat Rival
By Michael Crowe

Carolina found itself in an unfamiliar position at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke out-hustled the Tar Heels in the first half. Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell said the Blue Devils had more desire.

“Duke outplayed us in the first half,” Hatchell said. “They hustled more and got to loose balls in the first half, and they just wanted it more.”

At halftime Hatchell had a simple message.

“Let’s just go out there and rebound and get the ball inside, move around more and use our athleticism,” Hatchell said.

And Carolina executed. Led by a tenacious Ivory Latta and a dominating 23-point performance by Erlana Larkins, the Tar Heels fought back. Latta penetrated at will and added 6 assists to her 17 points. Carolina stepped up defensively with 14 steals and held Duke below 40 percent shooting in the second half. With less than a minute remaining, Latta drove and scooped in two points. After securing a rebound, La’Tangela Atkinson’s free throws sealed the four-point victory.

“I’m proud of my teammates,” Latta said. “They fought hard. We practice so hard everyday in practice; games are supposed to be easy. And we just came together at the end, and that’s why I love them so much.”

With the win, the Tar Heels became the only undefeated team left in women’s college basketball.