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7 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
Sunday, March 2
Chapel Hill, N.C.
5:30 p.m.
Duke University
51
at
82
North Carolina
No. 12 Duke Falls To No. 2 North Carolina
3/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - No. 2 North Carolina defeated No. 12 Duke, 82-51 Sunday, securing the school's first unbeaten regular season in ACC play while handing the Blue Devils their worst loss in 15 years.
Cetera DeGraffenreid scored 14 points to help the Tar Heels (27-2, 14-0 ACC), while Erlana Larkins added 14 points and 10 rebounds in her final home game pushing UNC to their seventh wins in the last nine meetings in the series. North Carolina has won 10 straight games and 18 of 19 overall, earning the league tournament's top seed for the third time in four seasons.
The Tar Heels entered this season wondering whether it could keep rolling after losing Ivory Latta and Camille Little, who led them to three straight ACC tournament titles and consecutive Final Fours. Instead, North Carolina ? with freshman DeGraffenreid at the point, seniors Larkins and LaToya Pringle controlling the inside, and Rashanda McCants roaming all over the court ? managed to accomplish something even its graduated stars couldn't do by going unscathed through the league schedule.
"It's heart, and these guys right here," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said while sitting alongside Larkins and Pringle. "Everyone thought whenever Ivory and Camille graduated that we were going to take a step down. But in some ways, we've taken a step up because other people have opportunities."
North Carolina wasted little time turning this game into a replay of its 93-76 win on Feb. 4, and this one came with more dubious distinctions for the Blue Devils (21-8, 10-4).
"I was telling everybody, 'I wouldn't want to play us on Senior Night,'" said Pringle, who had 14 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
Duke shot 30 percent while finishing with a season-high 27 turnovers. And just as in the first meeting, Duke couldn't knock down an outside shot, going 0-for-12 from behind the arc.
Chante Black had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Duke, but no other player scored in double figures.
"We did the same things we seem to do," first-year Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "We didn't get the ball in the right place. We continued to play too fast. ... We need to know who we are, know what we do and we need to do it very well. And we didn't do that at all today. We played right into them.
"They have four people in double figures every game. We've had that maybe once or twice," McCallie said. "They've got people that come ready to play."
Players Mentioned
C
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