GREENSBORO - North Carolina junior Rashanda McCants got caught in between two players and rolled her left ankle seven minutes into the first half of Saturday's game against Virginia in the semifinals of the 2008 ACC Tournament.

The 6-foot-1 forward fell to the court, grabbed her ankle in agony and had to be helped off the court as she limped back to the bench.

"I said, 'Give me some medicine and I will be back out there,' " McCants said, "some Tylenol or something, and I went out there and played."

Six minutes passed and McCants was back in the game, on her way to scoring a team-high 23 points - 19 in the first half - lifting the top-seeded Tar Heels to an 80-65 victory over the fourth-seeded Cavaliers before 11,438 at Greensboro Coliseum.

With the victory, the second-ranked Tar Heels (29-2) return for the seventh consecutive time to today's tournament title game where they'll face third-seeded Duke at 1 p.m.

The Tar Heels will be in search of their fourth consecutive tournament title and will look for a third victory this season over crosstown-rival Duke, a 74-63 winner over second-seeded Maryland on Saturday.

And if ever a team had momentum as it sought such lofty goals, it would be UNC, which has won 19 of its past 20 games, including 11 in a row.

The Heels ended the regular season with a 82-51 victory over Duke and became the first team in school history to claim an undefeated conference record.

It was with that history and the possibility of making more today that brought McCants back to the floor to help her team, which led 15-9 when she left the game with an injury.

"It hurt real bad," said McCants, who had to run in the arena hallway to show she was ready to return. "But once they taped it up I was fine."

Not for a minute did she think about sitting out of this physical game with the Cavaliers who in the regular season had challenged the Heels and appeared well-prepared to match them pivot-for-pivot in the paint.

McCants scored 11 first-half points once she returned.

By halftime the Heels held a 40-31 lead and were well on their way to controlling a game where they outrebounded Virginia (46-40), scored more points in the paint (46-34) and received more support from their bench (21-1).

UNC senior forward Erlana Larkins, who finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, felt the bumps from the start of Saturday's game as she was guarded inside by Virginia 6-3 junior Aisha Mohammed.

She expected the contact, smiling at the shoves and jersey-grabbing she received, saying after, "You've got to do something."

"I'm expecting something night in and night out," Larkins continued. "If you are not physical with me, then I'm going to run you over, honestly."

Senior LaToya Pringle, Larkins' frontcourt mate, added 15 points and eight rebounds and blocked five shots, moving her within five blocks of the school's all-time leader, Dawn Royster.

UNC coach Sylvia Hatchell, who lately has lauded the balance of her team, credited her bench, in particular sophomore Jessica Breland, who finished with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.

"She gives us a lot of firepower coming off the bench," Hatchell said.

On a two-on-one break, Breland grabbed a behind-the-back pass from freshman guard Cetera DeGraffenreid and finished a layup with 1:38 remaining, placing the Heels ahead by 22 points.

But it was McCants who Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said hurt the Cavaliers, even as her sophomore Monica Wright scored a game-high 31 points.

"She is the X-factor," Ryan said of the Heels' leading scorer. "You know Larkins and Pringle are going to bring the same thing every day. ... McCants was outstanding."

McCants rounded out her tournament career-high scoring performance with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Plus, with three personal fouls, she took two charges in the second half, the first coming with 14 minutes remaining.

"This is probably one of my best games," she said. "I was most proud of my 10 rebounds because it's really hard for me to get those. It just showed my all-around performance and how hard I work."

Even when she's hurt.