It was senior night in Charlottesville for Virginia guard Telisha Quarles, and it came with the difficult task of trying to contain one of the nation's most talented backcourt pairs. All-ACC candidates Coretta Brown and Nikki Teasley provided the bulk of the North Carolina offense to help their team clinch the second-place spot in the conference.
The dynamic duo made up for the Tar Heels' 30.3 percent shooting in the first half by combining for 23 of North Carolina's 12 points in the second. For the game, the duo teamed up to light up for a total of 37 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists.
Looking at those statistics and North Carolina's 10-point victory, one could easily fail to notice that Brown fouled out in the final minute of the game. It was an afterthought for North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell, who saw her team win by 15 against the Cavaliers last month in Chapel Hill.
"Coretta had a big night for us," Hatchell said. "She's been doing that for us and has been playing really solid."
The junior guard from Statesboro, Ga. burned Cavalier hopes of avoiding a double-digit halftime deficit by burying a three-point basket with 35 seconds remaining in the first half. Her scoring output continued throughout the second half, stopping any serious chance of Virginia revenge.
Both Brown and Teasley follow the general rule that one should not receive a compliment without giving one in return. This tendency is evident in the way they communicate with their teammates and execute the game. It is also evident in the way they refer to each other as team leaders. It is an interesting study in behavioral science, especially because much of the Tar Heel staff wondered prior to the season how the two would mesh as a starting backcourt.
"Playing with Corretta makes it a lot easier for me," Teasley said. "She's probably one of the best finishers in the country right now. I know if I have 11 or 12 assists, eight of them are probably from her. Even though I'm the senior, she's the backbone of the team. She gives 110 percent every night."
Meanwhile, Brown recognized Teasley as that glue that holds the team together.
"Nikki is really the leader on the team, and all the focus goes to her," Brown said. "A lot of the time I just get open shots."
Experience was a theme for the night, and Teasley could relate to Quarles as both aimed to make the most of their remaining time in college. Quarles struggled with her shot but fought hard to try to propel the Cavaliers back into the game, her last in University Hall.
Considering the cold shooting and absence of definitive defense in long stretches of the first half, Virginia played well. The Cavaliers managed to outscore the Tar Heels in the second half to keep the game from getting out of hand. The simple truth to the cause of the outcome is that North Carolina has continued to play the same kind of winning basketball it has all season, and that energy starts with two offensive sparkplugs before spreading around to the rest of the team.
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