Turnovers, shot selection hinder UNC women's basketball in loss

North Carolina women’s basketball coach Andrew Calder was pleased with most of his team’s stats after its loss to No. 8 Maryland Sunday.

UNC outrebounded the Terrapins 47-43, held Maryland to just a 38.2 field-goal percentage and had managed to pick up 22 points off of offensive rebounds.

One stat bothered Calder.

“They got 20 points off of turnovers, and we got six,” Calder said. “I think offensively, we did not execute as good as we needed to, and that’s why we shot 38 percent.

“That responsibility falls on me — to make sure we’re executing on offense and that we’re taking good shots. And that the right players are taking the shots.”

Poor shot selection led to some of UNC’s offensive struggles and turnovers.

“I think we took some tough shots,” Calder said. “I call those shooting turnovers.”

Though she led the team with 15 points, freshman forward Stephanie Mavunga said she blamed her own impatience for some of the shooting turnovers.

“I learned that I need to take my time,” Mavunga said. “I get the ball, I missed six shots and I get the ball and I really need to take my time.

“My teammates give it to me in good situations. Sometimes i just throw it up there.”

Mavunga wasn’t the only Tar Heel to miss offensive opportunities. UNC managed to outscore Maryland 40-26 in the paint and 6-2 off fast breaks — statistics that masked UNC’s frequently missed layups.

“We practice those,” Calder said. “We practice shooting layups numerous ways, actually. There’s like 16 different ways you can shoot a layup.

“We just need to concentrate on finishing those shots.”

But Calder was less concerned with layups as he was focused on improving the Tar Heel’s field-goal shooting.

“We’re going to continue to work,” he said. “I’ve got to get them to take better shots and then we’ll be fine. We’re going to knock these shots down.”