DeGraffenreid too much for Coastal

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Heels rally to win

North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell doesn't always see everything she wants when the Tar Heels visit the Grand Strand.

This time, she saw enough to take her breath away.

"The people that weren't here tonight, they missed a great college basketball game," a smiling Hatchell said Sunday after her ninth-ranked Tar Heels held on to defeat South Carolina 93-85 at the Carolinas Challenge.

Tar Heels not pressed

North Carolina junior Cetera DeGraffenreid stayed up late Saturday night talking with Centhya Hart on St. John's women's basketball team.

The conversation turned to Sunday's game between the teams, and the UNC guard casually reminded her friend how much she loved playing against the press.

DeGraffenreid reminded Hart again late in Sunday's game as she dismantled the Red Storm's full-court press - scoring eight points and handing out three assists over the final eight minutes - to help the fourth-ranked Heels (6-1) pull out an 83-73 victory at the Smith Center.

UNC women rally

North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell read the box score aloud to her team at halftime, urging anyone who dared to provide a spark for the No. 14 Tar Heels after a less-than-remarkable first half against rival N.C. State on Monday.

Hatchell called out UNC junior guard Italee Lucas, who at halftime was 0-for-5 from the field with five points. The team's leading scorer answered her coach's call, scoring 28 of her 33 points in the second half, leading the Heels to an 81-69 come-from-behind victory over the Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum.

Lucas scored the most points of any UNC player since Ivory Latta finished with 33 against Old Dominion in 2005. When her team needed a scoring punch, Lucas came alive and accounted for 16 of the Heels' 20 points during one key stretch that helped reel in State.

Heels overtake Tigers

Italee Lucas scored 20 points to help No. 14 North Carolina beat Clemson 79-61 Friday night.

Cetera DeGraffenreid added 12 points for the Tar Heels (15-3, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who closed the game on a 23-4 run.

Lele Hardy scored 17 points on 7-of-23 shooting to lead Clemson (9-11, 0-4), which lost to the Tar Heels for the 15th consecutive time.

Tar Heels avoid an early workout

North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell issued a challenge to her women's basketball team at halftime to get more rebounds. The Tar Heels grabbed just enough of them in the second half to avoid an upset.

Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored a career-high 16 points to help No. 4 North Carolina defeat Charleston Southern 76-67 on Sunday.

The Tar Heels, who were outrebounded 28-27 in the first half, finished with a 46-43 edge on the boards.