University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
NC State
Tar Heels Escape Raleigh With Narrow Victory
January 14, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2005
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By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. - Erlana Larkins scored a career-high 23 points Friday night to help No. 9 North Carolina rally to beat North Carolina State 77-75.
Ivory Latta added 18 points and hit two key free throws late for the Tar Heels (13-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who rallied from 11 down in the second half by shooting 64 percent after the break.
Khadija Whittington and Billie McDowell each scored 20 points to lead the Wolfpack (12-4, 1-2), who were without longtime coach Kay Yow. A member of the Naismith Hall of Fame who earned her 600th win at the school last month, Yow is being treated for a recurrence of breast cancer that was first diagnosed in 1987.
She is expected to miss two games, which are believed to be the first she has missed since taking over the program before the 1975-76 season.
The Tar Heels went ahead to stay when Latta found the 6-foot-2 Larkins inside for a 75-74 lead with 2:05 to play. Latta then made two key plays to give the Tar Heels their first ACC win.
First, she drew an offensive foul on a screen from Sasha Reaves with 20.7 seconds left. She followed that with two free throws that pushed the margin to 77-74.
The Wolfpack had several chances late, the best coming when Rachel Stockdale drew a foul on a 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds left. Stockdale hit the first free throw but missed the second, forcing the Wolfpack to intentionally miss the third and try for the offensive rebound.
Whittington grabbed the rebound, but missed two shots inside before the ball went out to N.C. State with 1.1 seconds left. On the ensuing inbound pass, Ashley Key didn't get the final shot off in time, giving the Tar Heels their fourth straight road win in the series.
North Carolina finished 16-for-19 from the free-throw line in the second half.
It was a disappointing loss for the Wolfpack on a night the school honored its missing coach.
efore the game, the school distributed 4,000 pink bracelets to fans, while N.C. State's players wore pink shoelaces to honor Yow. The Tar Heels also participated, wearing pink ribbons - the symbol of breast cancer awareness - on their shorts.
Yow had surgery last month to treat what the school called a "limited tumor recurrence," and she has undergone radiation, hormone therapy and diet modification.
