CHAPEL HILL — Without All-ACC candidate Tiffany Stansbury in the lineup, N.C. State needed someone to fill the void in the paint.
The call was answered by forward Sasha Reeves, who contributed a career high in points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her first career double-double.
Without Stansbury, State lost nearly 14 points and eight rebounds a game, but Yow said the main difference of not having Stansbury was just an issue of rest.
“Sasha played really hard tonight; she had a double-double, so had Tiff been here, maybe both people could’ve been a little more fresh,” Yow said.
“I don’t know that if she had played the same minutes that Sasha did, she’d have more than 12 points and 10 rebounds. She would’ve given us a chance to give somebody a little more of a rest though.”
Reeves gave State (13-8, 3-5) a season-high 27 minutes in the 75-58 loss, and was the lone Wolfpack player to shoot above 50 percent from the field.
“I was really proud of Sasha; she stepped up and played really hard,” coach Kay Yow said. “She’s played some really smart games for us and has come in off the bench and done some good things. Tonight was her opportunity and her moment, and I would say she took great advantage of that.”
Reeves came into the game less than four minutes after the start, and State already trailing the Tar Heels (21-0, 8-0) 6-2. With Reeves into the game, State was able to take advantage of the boost in size after UNC’s first six points all came inside the paint. Reeves scored four points within four minutes and tied the game at 12 at the 12-minute mark.
After the score, Reeves left the game, and the Pack fell behind by seven points before she was able to check back in.
“I don’t think [the absence of Stansbury] was noticeable,” UNC forward Erlana Larkins said. “I think Sasha Reeves came in and did an excellent job on the boards and in the post, so I just think she did well with her opportunity tonight in Stansbury’s absence.”
Again, with a bigger lineup, State was able to claw back into the game and tie the score at 30 before Rashanda McCants hit three three-pointers for the Tar Heels just before the half.
Reeves finished the half three of four shooting, and pulled down nearly one-third of the Wolfpack’s 20 rebounds.
“I watched her play a lot in high school, and I told the girls before the game, ‘Sasha’s probably going to start and play a lot. This is a good kid, and she’s going to take advantage of the opptunity to play tonight,’ and she did,” UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “She did well right around the basket, and she’s a big body, and was physical, and she did a nice job for them.”
With a nine-point deficit headed into the second half, the Pack were able to muster one more charge as a Reeves field goal brought them within two, but that was as close as they would come for the rest of the contest, eventually bringing the final deficit to 17.
Reeves finished the game 6-of-10 from the field and had two steals to go along with her 10 rebounds.
“In a way, I took advantage of the opportunity,” Reeves said. “I think I could have played better ‘D’ on Larkins at the end there, but for the most part, I think I did pretty good. I just did the best I could for my team.”
