UNC women's basketball overcomes poor shooting to top Boston College

In the past two games against cross-town rivals N.C. State and Duke, the North Carolina women’s basketball team struggled to find the nylon.

Both games reveal similar statistics – 30 percent from the field, less than 20 percent from behind the arc and 67 points on the scoreboard.

In the Tar Heels 72-60 victory over Boston College (9-12, 1-7 ACC) Sunday, the offensive statistics in the box score once again were an eye sore. So, similar to the previous two matchups, the Tar Heels relied on their defense.

Neither N.C. State nor Duke shot over 40 percent, and that streak continued in Carmichael Arena Sunday.

The Tar Heels (18-4, 5-3) held the Eagles to just 31.2 percent shooting and notched 10 steals. In the last three games, UNC opponents have averaged 19.7 turnovers. The Eagles had 18.

But the rim was not kind to the Tar Heels. UNC shot just 35.2 percent from the field and a woeful 2-of-15 from 3-point range.

“I’m sure (the shooting) has been frustrating everybody,” junior forward N’Dea Bryant said. “I’m pretty sure if I would’ve made a couple more shots tonight, we would’ve won by 10 or 15. It’s something that I will definitely work on in the next couple of days before we play Syracuse and everybody else.”

On defense, UNC had to worry about the 3-point shooting of the Eagles.

Boston College coach Erik Johnson said his team has some of the best shooters in the conference and his players know they have the green light. And for the first 20 minutes of the game, he was right.

The Eagles did shoot 41.2 percent from the field and knocked down six three’s in the first half, but out of the locker room, the Eagles were not allowed to take flight. In the second half, Boston College shot just 20 percent and went 2-for-18 from behind the 3-point line.

“Not giving those open looks. I told them to not help and don’t collapse and just stay on your man,” Coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “I told everyone that they had to accept the challenge of guarding them and not fouling and keeping their hands off of them but staying in between them and the basket.”

No player epitomized the offensive struggle and defensive intensity more than sophomore guard Allisha Gray. The sophomore went 2-of-14 from the field but had 11 defensive rebounds and a steal.

“She’s just a rock-solid kid,” Hatchell said. “If her shot is not going in, she makes up for it in another area with rebounding or she can go make a smart defensive play.”

Sophomore forward Stephanie Mavunga had eight defensive rebounds, one block and two steals in the win over Boston College.

“Our intensity on defense turns over to what we do on offense,” Mavunga said. “So if we lock down on defense and we get a stop, then that leads to fast break points. That’s one of the things that we’re good at. Sometimes we’ll be struggling offensively, and for those spurts we’re struggling offensively, we start clapping and we’re looking at each other and say, ‘You have to lock in and you have to get this stop.’”

So for the Tar Heels, sometimes the best offense is a good defense.

sports@dailytarheel.com