ACC WBB: Tar Heels outpaced by No. 21 Miami, suffer 76-61 loss at home

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – How do you stay competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) when you play with only six players?

Ask the North Carolina Tar Heels (12-8, 2-3) who fell 76-61 to the 21st-ranked Miami Hurricanes at Carmichael Arena on Sunday.

Faced with losing forward Xylina McDaniel for the rest of the season after she tore her right ACL and meniscus in the Tar Heels’ 80-73 loss to Georgia Tech on Thursday, the Tar Heels called next up and continued on.

All six UNC players battled a deeper Miami bench of 10, and had the opposing side working hard, out-rebounding the Hurricanes 24-17 during the first half.

“Miami is a very good team,” North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell said.

“They got shooters and are very athletic. They did a very good job. I thought we did some good things. First half we had a few breakdowns. At halftime we were down by six points, but a big difference was that they were hangin’ with them, rebounding with them.”

Stephanie Watts (19 points, 9 rebounds) along with double-double performances from Hillary Summers (17 points, 11 rebounds) and N’Dea Bryant (12 points, 10 rebounds) kept the Tar Heels close through the first three quarters of play.

“What an unbelievable performance by Summers and Bryant,” Miami head coach Katie Meier said following her 200th win leading the Hurricanes.

“They got double-doubles, they had to. I just couldn’t believe how relentless they were to the glass. They were hittin’ really nice composed shots. They did a great job of keepin’ them in the game.”

In limiting scoring output from guards Jamie Cherry (9 points, 3 assists) and Destinee Walker (4 points, 2 rebounds) who got into foul trouble by the final period, the Hurricanes took advantage of that and earned a valuable ACC road win.

“We understand that North Carolina had some adversity,” Meier said.

“We’re gonna take an opportunity when we get it, but we can also respect our opponent and know that they weren’t at full strength. This is a great win for us. This is a very tough place to win at.”

Double-digit finishes from four players led by Adrienne Motley (20 points) and Jessica Thomas (13 points) wrapped up the win for the Hurricanes (17-2, 5-1).

Miami extended its current win streak to four games, while North Carolina suffered its third straight loss.

Highlights – ACC Digital Network (TheACC.com)

After Miami took an early 3-0 lead, Summers dropped a three to pull the Tar Heels even at the 8:12 mark.

Keyona Hayes scored a three and eventually put Miami ahead by five.

The Hurricanes took advantage of early North Carolina turnovers and missed shots.

However, the Tar Heels remained patient, and combined with productive rebounding on Miami’s missed shots, eventually pulled even again at 9-9.

UNC pulled ahead on a layup from Walker.

The Tar Heels had out-rebounded the Hurricanes 8-2 up to that point.

The score continued to flip back and forth.

It became the proverbial game of runs, and with an 11-6 edge during the final minutes, the Hurricanes led 21-18.

Play continued that way during the next 10 minutes.

Miami led by four following a three from Harris before North Carolina tied it up 26-26 on two successful free throws from Summers.

The baskets continued to drop and from farther out.

A three from Motley was matched by Cherry, pulling the Tar Heels within two, trailing 31-29 with 4:55 to play in the half.

Miami started to pull away during a stretch when it laid in 8 points to the Tar Heels’ two.

A three from Watts was the final successful field goal counted for the quarter as Miami led 41-35 at halftime.

North Carolina finished the first 20 minutes of play shooting 12-of-32 from the field.

North Carolina got the ample rest it needed during the intermission and came out quickly and claimed back all six deficit points early in the third quarter.

Summers’ jumper tied it up at 41 points apiece, but that fueled the Hurricanes to respond just as quickly.

Thomas scored Miami’s first points of the half, a three, and began a 9-2 run that put the Tar Heels down 50-43 at the five-minute mark.

The pace of play increased and the ball dropped through both hoops regularly with the Hurricanes maintaining their lead, 55-50, with 2:31 to play.

North Carolina was held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter.

More effective ball possession and rebounding allowed Miami to push its lead to 59-50 heading into the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Miami’s zone defense seemed to slow the Tar Heels.

While Cherry tried to cut through it, she didn’t convert the free throws she earned on the drive.

Watts finally ended UNC’s scoring drought with a layup at the 8:04 mark.

A miscommunication on defense left Miami’s Laura Cornelius (13 points, 8 rebounds) open and her three-pointer gave Miami its largest lead up to that point, 64-52.

The Hurricanes took shots and effectively rebounded to work the clock to their advantage as necessary.

The Hurricanes led 72-55 with 3:32 to play.

A layup from Cherry followed by a jumper from Summers modestly cut the deficit with just over a minute to play.

Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, their energy level and ability to convert shot attempts to end the game wasn’t consistent with that of their start.

“I told them that for the second half if you’ll rebound with them, transition defense, and finish shots, then you’ll win the game,” Hatchell said.

“And really, that’s what it came down to.”

North Carolina finished the game shooting 4-of-13 from the field which couldn’t keep pace or surpass Miami’s 8-of-17 finish during the quarter.

The Hurricanes outrebounded the Tar Heels by a 26-13 margin during the second half.

“They just really kicked us on the boards in the second half,” Hatchell concluded.