The future lost badly. The pattern remains intact. Carolina meets Duke, Duke wins.

Now the Duke victories number 12 in a row.

The pattern includes Carolina losses to Duke in four of the last five ACC Women's Tournament championship games.

UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell became so frustrated with her team's inability to beat Duke that she told her team to stay on the floor after Monday's 63-47 defeat. The Tar Heels sat glumly as balloons rained down and Duke players cut down the nets from their fifth straight ACC Tournament championship.

"I just wanted them to stay out there so they could see what happens when you win," Hatchell said.

But where Carolina really sees signs of victory are in its freshman stars, forward Camille Little, a first-team All-ACC selection and the league's rookie of the year, and guard Ivory Latta. The pair combined for 51 points in UNC's semifinal win over N.C. State on Sunday.

On Monday, they were to meet Duke's power pair of seniors, Duke's all-time scoring leader Alana Beard and forward Iciss Tillis. This was to be an occasion for fates crossing. Duke was to show the experience and talent that has made it the most dominant ACC women's team ever. Carolina was to show what is to come.

The game didn't work out that way as three of the four stars disappeared behind a cloud of poor shooting. The mighty Beard looked almost ordinary in going 5-for-18 and missing all six of her 3-point attempts.

Little, though 6 feet 1, looked little in the post. She was pushed and blocked by an aggressive Duke frontcourt and contributed only seven points on 3-for-8 shooting.

Latta, a diminutive guard who admires Allen Iverson, looked like him as her shots went up, but not as they came down. She was 3-for-21 from the field and missed all four 3-point attempts in scoring nine points.

"Maybe I was a little too pumped up for this," Latta said. "I'm just going to have to learn from it and get ready for the NCAA Tournament."

Only Tillis, the aspiring model always so cool on the court that she seems not to sweat, showed off the talents she has combined with Beard's to take Duke to No. 1.

Still there were signs amid the defensive struggle that Carolina may yet see a victory celebration without having to watch Duke's.

That sign is Latta.

The point guard is listed at 5-6 but looks shorter. She wears her white socks knee-high and brings the ball down court with a dribble that rises to her shoulder and above. But the guard who set a South Carolina prep record with 4,319 career points can score and will score. She put up 30 points in her first ACC game and leads the ACC in 3-pointers.

But what's startling about Latta isn't her shot, it's her moves. She darts through the lane as fearlessly as Iverson and plays defense with cat-like quickness. And she has a wide-eyed look and good manner with the media that will make her a fan favorite. If she can dominate her game's scoring the way Mia Hamm did hers, Ivory could be Carolina's next Mia.

Latta showed a flash of talent at the end of the first half. She used a crossover dribble to shake off Beard and drilled a long 2-pointer that beat the buzzer.

"She crossed me, and I had to pick up my face," Beard said. "She's a talented player."

Beard later blocked a Latta layup that she said "redeemed myself a little bit."

Not on Monday, but some day ahead, Latta will redeem Carolina.