After opening the game by scoring 13 of the first 17 points, it looked like N.C. State’s winning streak would continue. Then the Tar Heels roared into life.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s freshman guard Diamond DeShields scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first half, and No. 13 North Carolina (13-3, 1-1 ACC) used a decisive 32-8 run over a 11-minute span to lead the Tar Heels past No. 20 N.C. State (14-2, 1-1), 79-70, at Carmichael Arena Thursday.
The Wolfpack got off to a terrific start in the first half. Senior forward Kody Burke, who finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds, scored seven of N.C. State’s first 11 points, and senior guard Myisha Goodwin-Coleman scored eight straight points as the Pack led 21-13 with 11:08 remaining in the first half.
The Tar Heels then seized control of the game and led at halftime, 45-29. N.C. State committed 14 of its 22 turnovers in the first half.
“When you are playing a talented team and you are on the road, you just cannot afford to have a stretch there like we had in the first half,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said. “We have just got to learn from it. We obviously struggled at times in our transition [defense] and some of that was caused by our turnovers. That is what they feed off of.”
‘We just gave up way too many layups,” Moore said. “You have to try to make them shoot jump shots. You can’t afford to give games away, but you have to give them a lot of credit.”
The Pack rallied in the second half, closing Carolina’s lead to as little as five points in the game’s final three minutes. State’s senior center Markeisha Gatling, saddled with foul trouble in the first half when the Tar Heels exploded, scored 16 of her team-high 18 points in the second half. The Raleigh native also finished with eight rebounds.
“We can’t win giving up 45 points in the first half,” Moore said. “We’ve got to do a better job than that. That is where we let it get away from us. In the second half we did a much better job. We have just got to figure out a way to put 40 minutes together.”
“All of us have to look at ourselves in the mirror and think about what we could do better.”
The Tar Heels are still without head coach Sylvia Hatchell, who is recovering from radiation treatments after a bout with leukemia. Associate head coach Andrew Calder said he gave his boss credit for the win.
“I want to thank Coach Hatchell for her help and some motivation she gave me to pass along for the players,” Calder said. “In a rivalry game, N.C. State played extremely hard. They are very talented, and they are super well-coached. They are going to have a good year.”
N.C State will look to rebound with a second straight in-state game on the road Sunday, as the Pack travels to Winston-Salem to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
