Tar Heels pick up the pace in second half, beat Elon 85-67 Sunday

When the North Carolina women’s basketball team faces in-state opponent Elon — coached by former UNC star Charlotte Smith — the game often has a familiar feel.

And on Sunday, the Tar Heels were faced with another familiar foe: the first half.

With the outcome in doubt at halftime for the third straight game, No. 9 North Carolina (11-1) once again relied on a second-half charge — led by rebounding and defense — to overcome the Phoenix 85-67, concluding UNC’s annual trip to Myrtle Beach for the Carolinas Challenge.

Smith — a former All-American whose game-winning shot in 1994 won UNC its only championship —coached against her alma mater for the first time since accepting the job at Elon (5-4).

“A lot of those kids have been to our camps, we know a lot of those kids, and I knew Charlotte would have them fired up,” said UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell, for whom Smith was an assistant for nine years. “I knew that Elon was going to battle and fight hard.”

And in the first half, it truly was a battle.

Despite shooting a much improved 54.2 percent at halftime — including 6-for-11 from deep — the Tar Heels’ defense took their turn at inconsistency, allowing Elon to shoot an uncharacteristically high 61.5 percent to stay within three at the break.

“We were just mad at ourselves that they made a run on us,” said senior Brittany Rountree, referring to the Phoenix’ runs of 16-3 and 10-3 to close out the half. “The coaches didn’t have to say much.”

But after getting outrebounded in the opening period yet again, the coaches’ locker room message was already quite familiar.

“Obviously we need to work on rebounding,” Rountree said. “That’s one of the things that Coach Hatchell has put emphasis on. So that’s what we did, and that was a momentum change for us.”

As if on cue, the Tar Heels instantly seized the momentum and never lost control.

North Carolina started the half on an 11-0 run, and its tenacious defense — which nabbed 12 steals and forced 28 Phoenix turnovers — punctuated the predictable ending.

“(In the) second half, our defense got better and then we started being a little more aggressive,” said Hatchell, whose team held Elon to 33.3 percent in the second half. “We picked it up with our defense.”

After sluggish starts in three consecutive games, Hatchell said that sporadic practice times and mental fatigue are to blame for the team’s scripted performances.

“We were playing pretty good, pretty consistent until we went into exams, and then now we haven’t been real consistent,” she said. “We relax and sputter a little bit, then we (take) off.”

With eight days before their next matchup, the Tar Heels hope that the holiday break can provide the rest needed to rewrite the narrative.

“Just having a break and having the time to work on our game and relax our minds,” Rountree said. “Coming back with a fresh new start, that’s helpful.”