Tar Heels thwart Cornhuskers

Going into the matchup with No. 15 Nebraska, associate head coach Andrew Calder knew that the Cornhuskers would be an offensive threat to the No. 18 North Carolina women’s basketball team.

And in the opening minutes of the game, he was exactly right.

But UNC (7-2) used a 23-7 run in the first half to grab the lead from Nebraska (6-2), and never looked back in its 75-62 victory.

“We got down early, but we did not panic,” Calder said. “They took some open shots early, but some tough shots also and that happens. But in the end we thought we could wear them down.”

The Cornhuskers confirmed Calder’s concerns by nailing three shots from behind the arc within the first five minutes of the game.

But the Tar Heels’ defensive intensity helped them shut down their opponent.

In the first half, Nebraska buried six 3-point shots. In the second half, the team went 0-for-9.

The Tar Heels came out with an improved defense after halftime. UNC held the Cornhuskers to 34 percent from the field and just under 39 percent for the entire game. The Tar Heels were right around its average by forcing 23 turnovers and 12 steals.

Offensively, sophomore Xylina McDaniel led the team with 25 points and used her aggressive mentality to pull down four key offensive rebounds.

McDaniel noted that it is very difficult for opposing teams to pinpoint a player on UNC to focus on and the deepness of the team has opened up shots for her.

“Everybody’s going to get their shots off,” McDaniel said. It’s good because not every player wants to play 40 minutes every game, because you’re going to wear yourself out. So it’s good being able to trust your teammates like we do.”

Freshman Allisha Gray, who had a 20-point game earlier this season, provided a spark by scoring 12 of her 14 points in the second half.

“At first my offensive game wasn’t going well, so I just went to the other aspect of my game which is defense,” Gray said. “Then my defense started coming along and that’s when I added fuel to the fire on offense.”

Despite a balanced effort both defensively and offensively, UNC still struggled from the free throw line, shooting 45 percent from the charity stripe and Nebraska held an otherwise up tempo Tar Heel team to only six fast break points.

Still, with its first win over a ranked opponent this year, Calder likes where the Tar Heels are headed.

“It’s about getting better,” Calder said. “We’re young as we know, but I don’t make excuses for them. They’re talented with high basketball IQs.

“The team is a process building together and with that we’re not going to worry about the opponent — we’re going to worry about UNC.”