Defense reappears for UNC

After North Carolina fell to Maryland 92-77 on Jan. 9, UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said she was late to the press room because she was looking for someone to play defense or rebound for her team.

Apparently, she discovered that Monday.

The Tar Heels held Duke to its lowest point total of the season, 51, on 14-of-60 shooting. They also outrebounded the Blue Devils — a team that averaged 11.3 more rebounds a game than its opponents heading into the contest at the Smith Center.

“I give all the credit in the world to their defense,” said Duke coach Gail Goestenkors. “They did a great job. It was the most pressure we’ve seen all year, and their traps were very effective.”

That pressure and forceful defense allowed the Tar Heels to gain control of the game late in the first half. With both teams severely struggling to convert in a half-court offense, it was the North Carolina defense that created fast-break opportunities — and Hatchell’s team converted.

With the Tar Heels already having opened up a 17-12 lead with less than three minutes to play in the opening frame, consecutive steals by Nikita Bell, La’Tangela Atkinson and Camille Little helped push the margin to 10. The Blue Devils ended the half with just 13 points, while the Tar Heels’ 16-1 run before the end of the half left UNC with 26 points entering the locker room.

“When they get their defense set, it’s hard to get shots in there with (center) Alison (Bales),” Hatchell said. “We were trying to mix it up some, and I really felt like if we could get our transition game going, whether it be off turnovers — we got some of that — or off our fast break in general, that that would play into our favor.”

The play of Duke star Monique Currie also worked in favor of the Tar Heels in the first half. Currie, a national player of the year candidate, scored just two points in the first half on 1-for-6 shooting.

“I guess we didn’t stay poised, but that’s what we were trying to do,” Currie said. “We were trying to take care of things, not get caught up in their transition, just try to slow things down and run our stuff.”

Currie did bring the Blue Devils back almost single-handedly in the second half, finishing with a game-high 24 points.

None, however, came after the 1:42 mark, as the junior missed a pull-up jumper that would have tied the game at 53. She also missed two free throws that would have cut the UNC lead to two with 15 seconds remaining, helping to seal the Tar Heels’ upset.

“I just wanted to step it up a whole ’nother level and just let it all hang loose,” said UNC senior Nikita Bell, who accumulated five steals in the game. “(Hatchell) gave us that responsibility — always be intense — and I try to do my job.”

For the Tar Heels, that job now becomes building on Monday’s momentum.

UNC could still live up to the media’s preseason expectation of a conference championship — if Hatchell can keep tabs on the defense and rebounding that emerged against Duke, that is.

“We’ve had a lot of tough games, and I think we just learned from all the experiences that we had,” Hatchell said. “Our kids just wanted it (Monday). We played with a lot of heart.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.