Nov. 9, 2007
Final Stats
By MIKE POTTER : The Herald-Sun
mpotter@heraldsun.com
Nov 10, 2007 : 12:36 am ET
CHAPEL HILL -- At least against its opening night opponent, the North Carolina women's basketball team appeared to be just as dominant advertised.
On the other side of the coin, the schools' historic first meeting in women's basketball is something N.C. Central might like to forget pretty quickly.
Rashanda McCants had a career-high 17 points to lead seven players in double figures as the No. 8 Tar Heels demolished the Eagles 109-32 on Friday night at Carmichael Auditorium in the season opener for both.
It was the schools' first official meeting in any team sport and turned out to be both the largest victory margin in UNC history and the largest defeat for the Eagles. UNC's biggest win before Friday was a 106-35 romp over South Carolina State on Dec. 30, 1999. NCCU's previous worst defeat was a 123-55 loss at Hampton on Feb. 3, 1988.
Freshman Cetera DeGraffenreid added 16 points for The Tar Heels, who went 34-4 and played in the Final Four last season, while Alex Miller had 15 and Iman McFarland a career-high 13. Heather Claytor had 13 points, LaToya Pringle 12 and Rebecca Gray 11 for UNC, while senior Erlana Larkins failed to score for the first time in her career.
"We saw a lot of good things," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "Seven kids in double figures -- it was just a good team effort."
The game was NCCU's first in NCAA Division I after the Eagles went 26-6 and won the CIAA championship in Division II last season. But the Eagles lost their all-time leading scorer Cassie King to graduation, and double-figure scorers Jasmine Newkirk and LaQuanda Williams were suspended for the season for rules violations.
"I think we learned how important it is to do better with our strength and conditioning," NCCU coach Joli Robinson said. "We can learn from playing a team like Carolina. We have to make sure we do the things we know how to do and not get away from them."
LaVonna Hailey, Tonia Roundtree and Latoya Bennett had seven points apiece to lead NCCU.
The Tar Heels shot 63.8 percent for the game to 18.8 for the Eagles and outrebounded NCCU 47-34. The Eagles turned the ball over 30 times to 13 for UNC.
"Central played hard," Hatchell said. "Moving up to Division I, their players are going about the intensity level. But they didn't quit, and kept going hard down the floor."
UNC led 56-16 at halftime behind 11 points from McCants and 10 from DeGraffenreid. The Tar Heels shot 56.8 percent in the first half to 20.7 for NCCU. The Eagles committed 21 turnovers -- many of them unforced -- in the first half to five for UNC.
"I was excited to play them, because I know a lot of their players," said Miller, an alumnus of Hillside High. "But I have to get up for every game. Our freshmen keep getting better, and I have to be a good teacher."
NOTES -- UNC's next game is Sunday, when Arizona State visits the Smith Center at 2:30 p.m. for the opener of the State Farm Tip-Off Classic. Maryland takes on Oklahoma in the second game. * NCCU's next game is Monday at Elon at 7 p.m. in the ISES Cancer Awareness Tip-Off. * The Eagles' only other encounter with an ACC team this season is at Duke on Jan. 3.
