This was a game of spurts for the Tar Heels. That's how I would describe it on offense. Thankfully the defense remained good throughout because there was this time frame in the first half on the offensive end, I think we'd all like to put behind us. Still, final UNC Tar Heels 65, Maine Black Bears 36.
The children were excited when I said we were going to see the Tar Heels although my little one was a little confused when we kept driving and things didn't look familiar. But then I told him the Tar Heels were at the beach. Still not sure he believed me until we got inside. This is our first road trip of this season.
I got us some food from the concession stand. They had lots of choices. I got a cheeseburger for my daughter, a hotdog for my son and a Chic Fil-a sandwich for myself. We shared some fries (so good). Eventually, it was time for the National Anthem and starting lineups.
Did I mention we had great seats. Seating for this event was general admission and the tickets are very reasonable. The game got started and it appeared to be a rout early on. In the first few minutes we had 8 players score at least one basket. I remember at the first official timeout, Maine hadn't scored yet.
It actually took them a few more minutes to score; but, then the Tar Heels went a bit cold. It was 14 to 0 with 12 minutes to go in the first half; but over the time up to halftime, the Bears outscored the Tar Heels 18 to 10. We applauded as our team went to the locker room as the Bears' fans in attendance gave their team a standing ovation. They apparently had hope. It had my competitive one looking a bit intense.
But in the 2nd Half
The 2nd half started out sort of like the first half ended and then we started to work a bit harder in the stands. Several of us were yelling for more defense; but then Coach Johnson got us going in one cheer for defense. Defense was the one constant in the game. We needed some baskets. Maine came down on one trip with a chance to tie the game; but the Heels got a stop. Then it was like the lid came off the hoop.
The lead was 3, then it was 6, then it was 8 and it just kept climbing. Maine scored another 18 points in the 2nd half. The Tar Heels scored 41. Overall still an atypical shooting night for the Heels (35% for the game); but, if you're going to have a tough shooting night, it's best to make sure the opponent has a tougher one. Maine shot 28% for the game and had 26 turnovers. UNC on the other hand had 11 turnovers. Half of those turnovers Maine had were steals for North Carolina.
Stephanie Mavunga: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal (photo from www.goheels.com)
Kind of a tough night for Stephanie. She got some early baskets; but then Maine was focusing on defending her. They were packed into this zone that made it difficult for us to get the ball to her. Of course it wouldn't be a game we could document unless she got at least one block and she obliged us.
Xylina McDaniel: 9 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block (photo from www.goheels.com)
Xylina really had to make things happen out there last night. That aforementioned zone had an effect on her too. Maine had gotten wind of the success our All-ACC frontcourt. She and Stephanie ended up at the free throw line quite a bit though. They were a combined 8 of 10 from the charity stripe.
Latifah Coleman: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals (photo from www.goheels.com)
Latifah filled the stat sheet in this one. She got some hard buckets when North Carolina was struggling offensively, played great defense and didn't turn the ball over.
Brittany Rountree: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal (photo from www.goheels.com)
It was a quiet game for the senior; but she was reliable to do the little things that keeps UNC going. She even brought the ball up a few times against the defense and kept UNC's pace despite now wearing a knee brace for the 2nd straight game.
Allisha Gray: 17 points, 8 rebounds 3 assists, 1 steal (photo from www.goheels.com)
Gray scored 12 points in the 2nd half for North Carolina and hit both of her 3 pointers in the second half as well. Against that packed in zone Maine was playing, it was tough to get into the paint; but she managed to penetrate it some. Even her tough shots look good.
Danielle Butts: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals (photo from www.goheels.com)
Packing a lot of activity into a short period of time. That's why I sometimes call her our power pack. In 12 minutes, Danielle made her presence felt in the game doing everything asked of her. She continues to be a source of offense and defense off the bench. Most of all though, her endless energy is essential when starters are on the bench.
Jamie Cherry: 7 points, 1 assist, 1 steal
Learning more and more each game I'm glad she's getting the time now while Latifah is still with us. Getting into that packed zone Maine had was tough but she managed to penetrate to the middle a few times, once going in for the lay-up and another passing out for a 3 point shot.
So, what to take away from this game? It's nice down here though it's a really cloudy today. I'm glad the games were both on a weekend so we could come down and support the team. It's good they were able to shake off the initial frustration and dominate the game. It was good to see the fight in them, especially Xylina and it was good to see their confidence rise over the 2nd half. It's something to really build on as we wind down the out of conference games. Hope to see that shooting percentage continue to rise back to normal. Course it almost seemed unfair to give the Bears hope and then snatch it back like that. Almost.
As for us, we are having a relaxing trip. I got a buy one get one night free deal at a resort we have stayed in before. It's close enough that it can be seen from the convention center. I got to meet a couple of the other members of the online forum where we talk about the team. They're a couple of great guys and I'm glad I got the chance to finally put faces with the screen names. The children are enjoying the ocean and that is pretty much how we have spent this day until we went out to the ballpark to enjoy a Christmas light show.
Weekends are always too short; but, we're ready to cheer the Tar Heels on to another victory tomorrow afternoon. Go Heels!
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