CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Excuse North Carolina for being a
little airborne Tuesday night against Charleston Southern.
The No. 5 Tar Heels, still elated after upsetting then-No. 4
Connecticut 71-65 on Sunday, missed five of their first eight shots
before rolling over an outmatched Charleston Southern 88-33.
Camille Little scored 11 straight first-half points to help
North Carolina to a 40-20 lead at the break.
"I've been in this business for a while, and I know how it
works," said Tar Heels coach Sylvia Hatchel, in her 30th season.
"I know that was a good win, but it's over. We needed a few
minutes to land tonight, but we were fine after that."
"I was happy with the win Sunday, but I was glad we had a game
tonight," Little said. "I wanted to let go of Sunday's game and
just play."
Reserve LaToya Pringle scored 17 points for the Tar Heels (3-0),
all in the second half. Ivory Latta and Erlana Larkins added 12
points apiece.
LaTangela Atkinson grabbed 11 rebounds for North Carolina, which
dominated the boards 49-33.
Erica McCoy led Charleston Southern (0-2) with 7 points.
The Tar Heels held the Buccaneers to 13-for-46 shooting (28.3
percent). Charleston Southern managed just 13 second-half points.
Charleston Southern went 11:42 into the second half without a
basket, and trailed 69-21 before the Buccaneers' LaKeisha Bryant
made a layup.
North Carolina forced Charleston Southern into 28 turnovers.
"Of course we knew coming into this game that they'd be on
cloud nine after the big win over Connecticut," said Charleston
Southern coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton, who played on North
Carolina's 1994 NCAA championship team. "We also knew they'd be
all over us on defense, and they were. That drought at the start of
the second half didn't help."