Game Defies Stats, Slips Away From UNC

GREENSBORO -- Sylvia Hatchell looked at the post-game statistics sheet Monday and could do little more than shake her head.

Her North Carolina team had taken 30 more shots than Duke, forced 21 turnovers and grabbed 22 offensive rebounds compared to Duke's six.

The No. 2 seed Tar Heels even led the top-ranked Blue Devils 59-47 with 13:22 to play in the second half of the ACC Tournament championship game.

And Duke somehow still found a way to win.

"We had a lead and we were moving along pretty good," Hatchell said. "I'm looking at this, and I'm shaking my head because I don't see anything I would do differently."

Hatchell said her team executed its game plan exactly the way she wanted to, but that there were things it could have done better.

Late in the game, the Tar Heels were unable to convert several inside baskets, and the Blue Devils' fast-break offense fed off the miscues.

Before the ACC Tournament started, Hatchell said her team would have to keep Duke from fast-breaking.

In the Tar Heels' last loss to Duke on Feb. 24, UNC shot 1 for 21 to start the second half, and the Blue Devils out-ran the Tar Heels to a 90-75 victory.

"You can't miss a lot of shots and expect to beat a team like Duke," Hatchell said Thursday.

A 1-for-10 cold streak over a seven-minute span proved Hatchell prophetic and gave the Blue Devils a chance to get back into the game. North Carolina guard Nikki Teasley said the momentum shift gave Duke what it needed to win the game.

"We got complacent with the lead," said Teasley, who scored 19 points in her ACC finale. "We were playing not to lose instead of playing to win."

The Blue Devils shot 64 percent from the floor to UNC's 40.5 percent in the second half and shot 26 of 29 from the free-throw line to get back into the game.

Duke forward Monique Currie, who scored a career-high 30 points, hit all 14 of her free throws.

Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said that although her team was out-played for much of the game, she was more concerned with the Blue Devils' performance than what the Tar Heels were doing.

"We obviously turned the ball over too much, but when we did get a shot, it went in," Goestenkors said.

Hatchell said she felt the discrepancy in free throws played a key factor in the game and was surprised her team didn't shoot more from the line.

"They got the calls and we didn't, and that's part of the game," said Hatchell, whose team shot 13 of 15 from the charity stripe. "If we could've gotten on the foul line, it would have helped us a lot.

"We were trying to slow it down, and in that time we were trying to go be patient and get good shots. We drove it in there, it just didn't work out for us."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.