North Carolina wins by 33 after starting out slow

With North Carolina (13-1) in an early deficit to an inferior opponent Friday, the scoreboard in Carmichael Arena went blank. As if a symbolic representation of its own offensive futility, the team waited for the power to return, desperately needing a reset of its own.

But even the scoreboard wasn’t prepared for when UNC finally flipped the switch.

Led by Stephanie Mavunga’s career-high 26 points, the No. 9 Tar Heels lit up East Tennessee State for a season-high 57.1 percent from the field — sparking their greatest scoring output in regulation time — in their 95-62 home rout of the Buccaneers (8-7).

Mavunga – leading the frontcourt in the team’s second game without injured forward Xylina McDaniel – shouldered the load offensively, finishing 13 of 14 from the field.

“My teammates just did a really good job of passing me the ball in the right situations,” said the sophomore post player, who added nine rebounds, a block and a steal. “They set me up for a good shots. It was really me moving to the right spot at the right time.”

Despite Mavunga’s strong play from the opening tip, the team found themselves in a hole early, much to the dismay of Coach Sylvia Hatchell.

“We started off very lethargic, I just did not like (our play) at all,” said Hatchell, whose team trailed 11-5 in the opening minutes. “That’s why I pulled all five starters, let them sit there a few minutes, and put the other group in. We sputtered quite a bit in the first half.”

When Hatchell turned the Tar Heels’ fate over to the bench, freshman sparkplug Jamie Cherry knew her role.

“Basically just trying to come off of the bench and give us a hard push,” said Cherry, who finished with 13 points and a team-high six assists. “Coach always tells us before the game, ‘Reinforcements be ready.’”

And when UNC clutched to a 33-32 with just over two minutes left in the half, the reinforcements were ready.

Cherry spearheaded a 10-0 charge heading into halftime, capped off by a buzzer-beating swish from half-court.

“I just closed my eyes and threw it up there and was hoping it went in,” said Cherry of the shot, one of her two 3-pointers on the day. “Then I heard everybody jump up and down so I assumed I made it.”

The highlight-reel shot – which gave the Tar Heels their first double-digit lead of the afternoon – rejuvenated Cherry’s teammates while simultaneously sinking the Buccaneers’ hopes.

“I thought somebody was going to run out with a check for $20,000 and free tuition,” said East Tennessee State Coach Brittney Ezell. “To see that go in, it really just kind of takes the wind out of your sails. I think North Carolina did a nice job capitalizing on that momentum and that excitement to start the second half.”

North Carolina maintained control in the second period, using another 10-0 run to blow the floodgates wide open.

“I thought we competed at a very high level, but I don’t think we could withstand the storm much, much longer,” Ezell said. “The dam just broke there early in the second half. We never recovered.”

With McDaniel out and starting point guard Latifah Coleman resting all but three minutes, the Tar Heels relied on contributions from the entire team.

Sophomore guards Allisha Gray and Jessica Washington each finished with 10 points, and senior guard Danielle Butts — who took over McDaniel’s spot in the starting squad — once again alleviated concerns of a smaller lineup by pulling down nine rebounds in just 19 minutes.

Every active Tar Heel scored a bucket, due in large part to the leadership of their dynamic back-up point guard.

“I feel like that’s my job to come off and give Latifah a breather and not have any slack,” said Cherry, who commanded the second-unit to 49 bench points, tied for a season high. “(To) just be able to put points on the board and get my teammates the ball and set them up in the right position to score.”

With the win, the Tar Heels finished their tough non-conference stretch with 13 wins – including four over ranked opponents – and will face their first ACC foe this weekend when the North Carolina State Wolfpack travel to Chapel Hill.

“N.C. State always plays great against us,” Hatchell said. “We know they will be coming over here really fired up on Sunday.”