RALEIGH — The ball kissed the glass, danced around the rim and settled into the bottom of the net. The 8,114 fans at Reynolds Coliseum, the source of a two-hour, ear-piercing din Sunday afternoon, took their cue and fell silent.
Soon a reverential murmur overtook the stands, and Diamond DeShields, the cause of this newfound tranquility, walked to half-court and gazed serenely.
Her 38 points, a North Carolina women’s basketball record for a freshman, drew venom from the N.C. State faithful. Boos when she tore a ball from a Wolfpack’s hands after the whistle blew. Helpless pleas when she spotted up for another inevitable 3-pointer.
DeShields had little to dislike after her record-setting spree in UNC’s 89-82 win against N.C. State, hostility from the home crowd included.
For the second time in six days, DeShields waltzed into an unwelcoming arena and, along with her team, vanquished a rival. With her team losing its hold on a late-game lead, DeShields became the stopgap, rising above a pair of N.C. State defenders for the silencing score.
“At the end of the day, it’s all love to me,” said DeShields, who scored 27 points in the second half. “I want to make believers out of everybody. Anybody who doubts me, I want you after the game to respect me. ‘She played a helluva game.’
“That’s all I want, and that’s what I work for, you know? Play hard.”
DeShields almost missed her chance to proselytize disbelievers. In UNC’s opening drill during its Saturday practice, DeShields suffered an undisclosed leg injury on the first step she took.
Her first-half limped along much like the slight hitch in her gait. DeShields’s equilibrium, usually unflappable, looked off-kilter. She had 11 points on just 4-10 shooting.
