Terrapins beat UNC on the boards in win

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The North Carolina women’s basketball team might have entered the game fifth in the country, but it was No. 21 Maryland that played like a top-10 team Sunday.

The Tar Heels, who had not faced a ranked team since November, were outshot and outrebounded by the Terrapins in a 92-77 defeat at the Comcast Center.

The loss dropped UNC (12-2, 0-1 in the ACC) to a tie for ninth in the Associated Press poll, but the concerns for Sylvia Hatchell’s team are greater than the rankings drop as the Tar Heels head into the brunt of their conference schedule.

The Terps’ physical play frustrated the Tar Heels throughout the contest, as Maryland’s 49-35 rebound advantage surprised even Terrapin coach Brenda Frese.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL UNC 77 MARYLAND 92

“You just look at the rebounding stats, and are you kidding me?” Frese said. “(To) outrebound this team, a team that outrebounds its opponents by plus-10 a game — we just did a tremendous job.”

Terp center Crystal Langhorne brought down 14 of those rebounds. Langhorne, whom the media selected as the preseason ACC Freshman of the Year just ahead of UNC’s Erlana Larkins, more than lived up to such billing.

Langhorne shot 11-for-13 while Larkins, stymied by the Terps’ physical defense, scored a season-low three field goals en route to 13 points.

Early on, though, it appeared that the Tar Heels would be able to handle the challenge from Maryland (11-2, 1-1). But the Terps put together a 13-0 run midway through the first half, and that momentum carried through to give them a 41-31 lead at the break.

“I think we were confident coming into the game — ready to play, excited,” Larkins said. “But things happened like them shooting 59 percent in the first half. That’s crazy.”

Also crazy was the performance of Maryland guard Shay Doron, who seemed to have an answer for every UNC comeback attempt.

When a layup by UNC forward LaToya Pringle brought the score to 62-56 with 7:42 to play, Doron quickly responded with a 3-pointer. Two minutes later, after Larkins hit a 4-footer to pull the Tar Heels within seven, Doron’s pull-up jumper ignited a 7-0 Maryland run that put the game away.

She finished with a career-high 37 points, the most points surrendered to one player by UNC since 1998.

“I didn’t even feel like I was scoring a lot,” Doron said. “I think it was so balanced today, and rightfully so.”

Ivory Latta led UNC with 21 points and Nikita Bell added a season-high 18, but it was the defensive struggles that concerned Hatchell as the team looks ahead to Friday’s road tilt against N.C. State.

“If you’d have told me that this would have happened, I would have said no way,” Hatchell said. “But they played a great game, and our defense wasn’t there tonight.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.