In double overtime, women lose fifth straight game

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — With four minutes remaining in regulation, North Carolina guard Cetera DeGraffenreid’s eyes showed confidence, focus and assuredness of how the last four minutes would be played.

But no one could have foreseen the double-overtime match between UNC and Virginia on Monday.

Fifty minutes of basketball, 158 attempted field goals and a buzzer beater later, the Cavaliers came away the victors, 82-78, handing the Tar Heels a fifth straight loss.

Rebounding and free-throw shooting were once again hot topics of discussion following the loss.

“The biggest thing was rebounding,” UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “We missed layups. We missed foul shots. If we just make the layups and foul shots, we win by six or eight points.”

UNC (16-8, 4-6 ACC) was 6-for-7 from the line in the first half but finished the game 12-for-21 while being out-rebounded by 11.

With Virginia (19-6, 8-3) up 66-65 and under a minute left to play in regulation, She’la White took a contested 3-pointer from the wing rather than passing to an open Italee Lucas in the corner.

Lucas had just made two treys in the past three minutes and had her hands waiting for a pass.

White’s shot clanged the back iron and UVa.’s Monica Wright pushed the ball down the court and finished in a matter of seconds. But Lucas would get another chance by the end of regulation.

DeGraffenreid handed the ball to Lucas at the wing, and Lucas picked up two defenders. She was able to swing around them, and at the top of the arc, let a 3-pointer go.

Lucas drained that shot, one of her eight 3-pointers on the night, with just two seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 69-69 and send it overtime.

“I knew it was gonna go in,” said Lucas, who tallied a team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds.

After both teams scored five points in the first overtime period, UNC started the second extra frame with a DeGraffenreid steal and layup. The junior guard had the chance in the period to again break the tie when she went to the free-throw line at 78-78.

The shots from the charity stripe circled the rim like the pinwheels twirled in the student section behind the goal — neither found the bottom of the net.

DeGraffenreid finished with 21 points but said she wasn’t mentally prepared when she stepped to the line because of a dislocated pinky finger she suffered recently.

“That’s just something you have to block out of your mind when you go up to do something like that,” said DeGraffenreid, who was 7-for-8 from the line prior to her two misses. “I let it get the best of me.”

One minute later, UNC ran the same play with just more than a minute left while down two points. Lucas’ shot was on line but too far and bounced off the back rim and into the hands of Virginia’s Telia McCall.

“It felt good, but I guess not good enough,” Lucas said.

McCall finished with 20 rebounds, including 11 offensive boards. Her presence in the paint was felt on more than just the glass, and her size played a part in a Waltiea Rolle’s airball from just outside the paint with 16 seconds left.

“For a kid to get 20 (rebounds), that’s just nothing but heart and going after it,” Hatchell said.

“I’m just trying to find somebody that will do it.”



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.