Women's basketball handles Western Carolina

Size and speed made the difference as the North Carolina women’s basketball team rolled the Catamounts from Western Carolina 93-36 on Sunday.

The Tar Heels came into Sunday’s game after a 93-37 victory against Coastal Carolina on Friday.

Overmatched and undersized, the Catamounts used the only weapon they had to fight the Tar Heels’ up-tempo style — the 3-pointer.

Western Carolina beat UNC-Asheville last week while hitting seven of 13 from beyond the arc. The Catamounts matched that number against the Tar Heels, but this time, it wouldn’t be enough.

“They got some kids that can shoot the basketball,” UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “We couldn’t just give them open looks like we were giving them.”

Hatchell said the reason for the open looks in the first half came from holes in the 1-3-1 half-court trap. When the trap did work, though, it caused the Catamounts to be tentative in crossing half court. WCU came into the game averaging 17 turnovers a game, but the Tar Heels forced 17 in the first half alone.

The Catamounts have only one player on the roster taller than 6-foot-1 and she was no match for Chay Shegog or Waltiea Rolle, who are both at least 6-foot-5. Using that height advantage, the Tar Heels out-rebounded the Catamounts 42-31 and tallied eight blocks in the win.

North Carolina scored 52 of its 93 points in the paint while Western managed only six points inside the lane.

In the backcourt, point guard and Cullowhee native Cetera DeGraffenreid used her speed to dominate the game. Her seven steals helped the give the team 20 points in transition.

The Tar Heels turned a 15-point lead with 4:11 left in the first half into a 30-point halftime spread by way of a defensive fury. DeGraffenreid capped off the run with a steal, a quick crossover and a smooth reverse layup in traffic.

“I saw Italee (Lucas) on my right side, but there were two defenders over there and I saw them going to us on the right side,” DeGraffenreid said. “I didn’t see anybody on the left side so I thought if I crossed over I would have a shot.”

DeGraffenreid finished the game with eight assists and only one turnover, which she immediately avenged.

When Catamount guard Rena Wakama stole a tipped pass and took off on a break, DeGraffenreid caught her from behind and sent the layup attempt sailing out of bounds.

Five Tar Heels scored double-digit points, with the senior guard Lucas leading the charge with 16 points.
Two Catamounts had a team-high 8 points.

The game was the last of the season’s opening four-game homestand. The Tar Heels will be in playing in Honolulu during Thanksgiving break, where Hatchell expects the games to be more competitive.

“We’re excited about going to Hawaii,” Hatchell said. “There are going to be some really good teams over there and that’s going to be really good for us.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.