North Carolina's Nikki Teasley shoots under pressure from Kentucky's Keiko Kate during the first half |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-- With its score hitting the 100-point mark for the third time in the last four games, the No. 24 University of North Carolina women's basketball team improved to 6-1 with a 102-64 win over Kentucky (2-2) Wednesday night at Carmichael Auditorium.
Tar Heel senior Nikki Teasley led all scorers with 21 points, 16 of them in the first half. She was 7-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-5 from three-point range, and added four assists, two steals and two turnovers in 25 minutes of play.
Also in double figures for the Tar Heels were sophomore center Candace Sutton (12 points), junior guard Corett a Brown (12 ) and freshman forward Nikita Bell (11). Sophomore forward Chrystal Baptist led UNC in rebounds with nine.
Freshman Keiko Tate came off the bench to lead Kentucky with 13 points. Also in double figures were sophomore SeSe Helm (12 points) and freshman Sara Potts (11).
UNC quickly took control of the game, capitalizing on 22 first-half Kentucky turnovers to stretch its lead to 58-19 at halftime. The Tar Heels shot 56.8 percent from the floor in the first half and hit 7 of 11 three-point attempts.
"UNC executed well and took advantage of our turnovers (in the first half)," Kentucky coach Bernadette Mattox said. "I was happy with the way our players came out in the second half. We were patient, took our time and didn't turn the ball over."
North Carolina's Jenni Laaksonen grabs a rebound away from Kentucky's Selia Helm |
The Wildcats came out of halftime with an 8-0 run and shot 47.1 from the field in the second half, up from 30.8 in the first. The Tar Heels got 41 points from their bench, including Bell's 11 and eight points from freshman Kenya McBee, who was 3-for-4 from the field.
"This was another great team effort," UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "I thought we did some nice things defensively, created a lot of turnovers and got some offense from our defense. We*re showing good balance and good depth, playing a lot of people and having them play well together. "
UNC returns to action on Sunday, with a game at Old Dominion, currently ranked 17th in the AP poll and 19th in the coaches' poll. Kentucky hosts Miami on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
BOX SCORE
North CAROLINA 102, KENTUCKY 64
Kentucky - McDole 3-9 0-0 6, Jones 3-5 0-0 6, Helm 5-7 2-2 12, Adams 3-8 2-2 8, Payne 1-7 1-3 4, Tate 3-6 7-11 13, Potts 4-13 2-3 11, Mendeng 1-1 0-0 2, Stoglin 1-3 0-0 2, Hawthorne 0-0 0-0 0, Patterson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 14-21 64.
North Carolina - Teasley 7-10 4-5 21, Baptist 3-4 1-2 7, Sutton 5-9 2-3 12, Brown 5-11 1-2 12, Metcalf 3-8 2-2 9, Thomas 2-3 1-3 5, Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 5-9 0-0 11, McBee 3-4 1-2 8, Laaksonen 3-3 0-0 6, Chambers 2-5 0-0 5, Tucker 2-6 2-2 6, Coughran 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 40-73 14-21 102.
Halftime--North Carolina 58, Kentucky 19. 3-Point goals--Kentucky 2-16 (Payne 1-3, Potts 1-8, Stoglin 0-1, Adams 0-2, McDole 0-2), North Carolina 8-18 (Teasley 3-5, Bell 1-1, McBee 1-1, Chambers 1-2, Brown 1-4, Metcalf 1-4, Coughran 0-1). Fouled out--Helm. Rebounds--Kentucky 37 (Potts 6), North Carolina 38 (Baptist 9). Assists--Kentucky 16 (Adams 9), North Carolina 27 (Metcalf 8). Total fouls--Kentucky 17, North Carolina 19. A--1,152.