The North Carolina women’s basketball team continued on its early season warpath Wednesday, defeating visiting Robert Morris 76-47.
The No. 14 Tar Heels (2-0) were lifted by the efforts of sophomore guard Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, who had the game’s only double-double.
Despite her team’s 29-point margin win, coach Sylvia Hatchell didn’t think UNC lived up to the high standard they set in its opening game.
“We didn’t shoot as good tonight as we’ve been shooting — even foul shots or anything,” Hatchell said. “Rebounding, we ended up doing OK, but I was not pleased at certain points with our rebounding.”
The Tar Heels dominated from the start, though, with three out of the five starters combining for a 15-0 run in the opening minutes, including Ruffin-Pratt’s three points.
After leading the team with 21 points against North Florida, senior guard Italee Lucas looked poised to do it again with 12 points in the first half. But Robert Morris held her to just four points after halftime, and the Tar Heels were forced to turn elsewhere for their offensive output.
Ruffin-Pratt supplied much of that offense, scoring 13 points in the game along with her 14 rebounds. For the sophomore, the performance was aided by the absence of the shoulder braces she had to wear a year ago.
“The braces kind of held me down a little bit,” Ruffin-Pratt said. “But now that I have them off, I’m going to the basket a lot harder.”
Sophomore center Waltiea Rolle also had a night to remember off the bench. Rolle scored 10 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double.
