Rountree’s free throws ice Wolfpack in UNC women's basketball game

RALEIGH — Down 35-25 early in the second half to N.C. State and coming out of a timeout, the No. 12 North Carolina women’s basketball team faced a situation they had seen before. Locked in a tight battle with their in-state rival, whom they faced for the 100th time Thursday, the team needed a momentum shift.

As the referee handed the ball to State’s Len’Nique Brown-Hoskin, the Tar Heels (17-3, 4-2 ACC) came out in a full trap and enticed the redshirt senior into throwing an errant pass to Latifah Coleman.

Coleman promptly laid the ball into the basket and, on the ensuing inbound, sophomore Stephanie Mavunga collected another turnover and cut the lead to six, causing the UNC bench to erupt.

N.C. State (12-7, 3-3 ACC) quickly called a timeout to stifle the UNC run, but the damage had been done, and with momentum firmly on their side, the Tar Heels went on to defeat the Wolfpack 67-63.

“We went back out there and just tried to put a little more pressure on them,” said Coach Sylvia Hatchell after the game. “We actually kicked things in gear a little bit more there and that gave us some momentum.”

Senior Danielle Butts agreed.

“Definitely. It was a big shift,” she said. “And I think that just helped us carry and finish the game.”

Those types of plays and that level of intensity is something that UNC has become familiar with over the years against the Wolfpack. No matter where they’re ranked or which way they’re trending, both teams bring something extra when they play one another.

“We’re opponents, we’re not enemies. I have a great relationship with a lot of people over here,” Hatchell said. “But when we get on that court and that ball goes up, you know what, it makes me work that much harder to win ball games.”

And when the Tar Heels found themselves in a similar situation, they turned to some familiar faces to lead them to victory.

The first was sophomore guard Allisha Gray, who put up 13 points and 12 rebounds on the Wolfpack just 18 days earlier. Gray struggled from the field most of the night, but when the shots wouldn’t fall, she focused her efforts on crashing the boards and again racked up 12 rebounds to lead the team.

The second face was that of Brittany Rountree, who Hatchell has tabbed as the team’s senior leader. With 24 seconds left and a need to close out the game, UNC got the ball into her hands, and she delivered, knocking down eight straight free throws to ice it.

“It just comes with practice and it’s something that I’m used to,” Rountree said. “I kind of like those situations, especially when I can silence the crowd.”

And that’s exactly what she did. As the final horn sounded, the buzz inside Reynolds Coliseum was cut to a mere quiver, and the Tar Heels walked out with their 49th win of the series.

sports@dailytarheel.com