University of North Carolina Athletics
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NC State
Tar Heels Hold Off NC State, 83-76
January 14, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Everything seemed set up perfectly for North Carolina. The 11th-ranked Tar Heels had a huge lead against a longtime rival and would head into a matchup with Connecticut with a coach-pleasing victory.
Instead, the Tar Heels struggled to finish.
They lost nearly all of a 24-point lead in the second half before holding on to beat North Carolina State 83-76 on Friday night, which certainly wasn't what Sylvia Hatchell wanted to see from her team days before the two-time defending national champions arrive in Chapel Hill.
"They kept fighting out there and we got real lackadaisical and then let them come back," Hatchell said. "I'm happy for the win but not the way we lost our focus in the second half."
Italee Lucas scored 19 points to lead the Tar Heels (16-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Chay Shegog added 13 points as North Carolina avenged last year's surprising home loss to the Wolfpack (9-8, 1-2). North Carolina used an 11-0 run to build a comfortable lead, led by 16 at halftime and increased that margin to 62-38 early in the second half.
And yet, the Tar Heels ended up having to make a couple of free throws--and withstand a few missed desperate shots from N.C. State--in the final minute to close this one out.
"I think our team is ready," said fifth-year senior Jessica Breland, who had 10 points and nine rebounds. "We take every game we've had already and we learn from it and our mistakes. I feel it's going to be a great game."
Marissa Kastanek did everything possible to help the Wolfpack nearly complete a stunning comeback. The sophomore scored a career-high 30 points and hit six 3-pointers, the last of which pulled N.C. State to within five points with 17 seconds left.
"I just never quit," said Kastanek, who was sporting a black eye from her last game and left this one briefly in the first half after being hit in the mouth underneath the basket. "That's not something I've ever done and I think that the team in the locker room (at halftime) was like, 'We still have a chance.'"
The Wolfpack wouldn't let the Tar Heels coast to the finish in the final 13 minutes. Kastanek's fifth 3 cut the lead to 65-56 with about 8 1/2 minutes left before the Tar Heels answered with six straight points to push the margin back to 15.
N.C. State twice closed to within eight points in the final 4 minutes, then seven, then got a catch-and-shoot 3 from Kastanek to make it 81-76 with 17 seconds left.
N.C. State won't have to look far for reasons it fell so far behind. After scoring the game's first seven points, the Wolfpack went completely cold, missing 29 of 36 shots as the Tar Heels built their big lead. N.C. State finished the game shooting just 32 percent, with Amber White and Brittany Strachan combining for 10 points on 2-for-23 shooting.
"It's tough to play even with them, much less come back," Harper said. "I just wish we could have dialed in on our tempo earlier. That would've helped us."
Sylvia Hatchell:
"Well, two different halves. I thought the first half we did a lot of good things. We were up by 24 and then the second half was not good. Actually the whole game was pretty much a foul fest. I mean, it was 54 fouls in the game, so that's without a doubt the most we've had this year, and the most our opponents have had. I guess you can sort of guess that when Carolina and State play. You've got to give State a lot of credit. They didn't quit, they hung in there, they kept coming back at us. When you shoot the basketball a lot of great things happen for you."
NC State Coach Kellie Harper:
"Well, I'm disappointed that we couldn't find a way to win the game. I'm extremely proud of our players fight and toughness. This was a fun game. That looked like a rivalry game. That's the kind of atmosphere that you want to play in."
Marissa Kastanek on being down 24 points in the second half:
"The thing that was actually going through my mind was how the men's Carolina team came back last night and beat Virginia Tech after being down for 20 points, and Amber in the locker room said, `It's a game of runs, I mean, they made their runs, and now it's our turn. I mean, I just never quit.'"
