Last night was simply a difficult one for the Virginia women's basketball team as it fell to North Carolina, 78-68. Open jump shots refused to fall, free throws were missed, and the emotional aspect of "senior night," the last home game in the career of Telisha Quarles and fellow seniors Karen Jaeger and Kathy Allen, clearly took its toll.
"I don't know if it was the emotion that affected us," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said. "It seemed like we were a little off tonight. I don't know if it was Carolina, or all the emotion ... It seemed like we were very ready to play today, we had a good start. We just made some bad decisions in terms of shot selection.
Coming into the game, the Cavaliers (15-11, 8-7 ACC) knew they faced a daunting opponent in the No. 19 Tar Heels (22-6, 11-4), who had beaten them in Chapel Hill earlier this season 79-64.
Almost immediately, the Cavaliers abandoned their game plan and took a large number of jump shots, many of which did not fall. Nevertheless, with nine minutes elapsed in the first half, the Cavaliers led the Tar Heels 13-11.
Less then a minute later, though, North Carolina junior guard Coretta Brown, who ranks third in the ACC in scoring (16.4 points per game) broke into the lane for a layup. This sparked a 17-0 Tar Heel run that only ended when Quarles converted one of two free throws five minutes later. While they made five good runs at Carolina throughout the rest of the game, the Cavaliers never were able to overcome the 13-point deficit that had accumulated.
The Tar Heels were able to contain the Cavs for the long stretch using a combination of a 2-3 zone defense while double-teaming Virginia freshman forward Brandi Teamer. In the first half, Teamer was held to just four points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field. Defensively, though, she dominated, finishing the half with one blocked shot, one steal, and 10 defensive rebounds.
Offensively, the Tar Heels looked to their two stars, Brown and senior point guard Nikki Teasley. Since Teasley moved to the point guard position in Carolina's last game against Virginia Jan. 27, the Tar Heels have not lost a game, and extended their winning streak to eight straight with yesterday's win.
"I don't know a point guard in the country who has the complete package that Teasley has," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "She really keeps us together. She just makes everyone else out there so much better."
Teasley's performance, which included 15 points and six assists, was complimented by her backcourt mate Brown, who finished with 22 points.
"Teasley is such a great player that all the focus goes to her and I'm left wide open," Brown said.
In the end, Teamer turned in another All-ACC type performance for the Cavaliers. She finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds as she recorded her league leading 13th double-double of the season. Her 14 rebounds also gave her a new career high. In her final home game, Quarles finished with 11 points and four assists, but just could not develop any consistency with her outside shot.
Consistency was a problem for the Cavaliers throughout the game on the offensive end. Early in the first half, the Cavaliers drew three fouls from Carolina center Candace Sutton, neutralizing her defensive presence. But the Cavaliers failed to take the game to her in the second half.
What really proved the Cavaliers' downfall, however, was their failure to convert on the front end of one-and-one free throw opportunities in the first half.
"You just can't miss four front ends of one-and-one's," Ryan said. "If we hit our free throws in the first half, I think it's a different game."
After the game, Quarles left the court to a standing ovation from the Cavalier fans. She will leave Virginia as the 20th player in school history to score over 1,000 points.
"Telisha brought an awful lot to our program at both ends of the court," Ryan said. "This year, what she's brought to our team is a lot more leadership. She's a more complete player all the way around, and I'm glad we're going to have her in the postseason"
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