At 5-6, North Carolina's Ivory Latta often is the smallest player on the court, but she almost always has the biggest heart. She proved it again Monday against a resilient Connecticut, when she hit a three from the top of the arc to put her No. 2 Tar Heels up for good, 79-76, with 1:02 left.
Latta, her team's leading scorer this season, had been having an awful game. The excitable point guard had eight turnovers, only one assist, and before she hit the shot she was 3-for-12. Seconds earlier she'd thrown the ball away. But with the game and an undefeated season on the line against No. 6 Connecticut, who'd battled back from 15 points down, Latta grabbed the ball and let loose.
"I caught it and shot it," Latta said. "I wasn't thinking. I just shot it."
She also made two foul shots in the final minutes to seal the deal. She finished with 14 points, scoring 12 in the second half. The Tar Heels, who committed 26 turnovers, held on to win, 82-76. They remain one of two undefeated Division I women's teams. Archrival Duke is the other.
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Jamaica, Queens, and Christ the King product Tina Charles was a big part of Connecticut's near comeback. In foul trouble for most of the game and limited to 13 minutes, the freshman scored all nine of her points in the second half during a 17-4 Connecticut run.
Comments (1)
I think its called having S M A R T football players, not just athletes. Brady has brought his team to victory after trailing in the forth period 24 times and is 12 and 1 in playoffs. They also play as a TEAM, and do not look to be flashy or look for the T.O. types. I know that always picking at the end of the draft will someday effect the Patriots.