UNC women's basketball helped by depth in UNC-G win

A dominant scorer has yet to emerge for the No. 19 North Carolina women’s basketball team.

But it hasn’t seemed to affect the Tar Heels just yet.

In its 91-35 win against UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday, five Tar Heels scored in double figures.

The Tar Heels (3-0) scored first and never looked back, holding the lead for all 40 minutes. They led by as many as 59 in the second half.

Freshman Brittany Rountree, one of five ACC freshmen selected for its Newcomer Watch List, led all scorers with 14 points.

Though Rountree lacks the experience of some of her teammates, she said she has no issues with taking the responsibility for her shots on a team with veteran players.

“I’m comfortable,” she said. “I’m used to playing at a high level since I was little. I always played on the higher level age groups.”

Despite only playing 17 minutes, senior Laura Broomfield finished with her third double-double in as many games, recording 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Even though there hasn’t been a consistent leading scorer yet for the Tar Heels, Broomfield thinks that can only help her team as the season progresses.

“I think that makes us more deadly as a team,” Broomfield said. “It helps our post play, me and Chay, having a bunch of guards any night that can score double figures”

The Spartans hung with the Tar Heels down low, grabbing only three fewer boards than UNC. Broomfield said the athleticism of her team can cause it to neglect good positioning under the basket.

“We need to step it up,” Broomfield said. “We need to focus on blocking out and not just jumping with teams just because we can jump with them.”

In the absence of 6-foot-7 center Waltiea Rolle, who had a baby just more than a week ago, the Tar Heels will likely play four guards on the floor with only one post player. UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell did not rule out playing five guards on the floor at one time.

“I don’t get caught up in positions, put the best five out there and you play,” she said. “They’ve got to come out there and guard us, so that could be a disadvantage to them in the mismatch department.”

That tactic seemed to work against UNC-G, as UNC excelled from beyond the arc, shooting 46.7 percent. Senior She’la White led the team with three 3-pointers.

The abundance of scoring threats also opened up space for senior center Chay Shegog, who shot 60 percent from the floor. She totaled 13 points and six rebounds.

It is clear that this year’s recruiting class can shoot, with Brittany Rountree, Danielle Butts and Megan Buckland contributing 14, 12 and nine points respectively, but what Hatchell appreciates even more is their winning mentality.

Contact the Sports Editor

at sports@dailytarheel.com.