WOMEN'S HOOPS DROPS FIRST GAME OF RAINBOW WAHINE CLASSIC TO NO. 2 NORTH CAROLINA
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Second-ranked North Carolina remained undefeated on the year with a 99-38 victory over Sacramento State in the opening game of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic on Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center.The Tar Heels (4-0) were paced by Preseason All-ACC junior forward Erlana Larkins. Named to the Wade Trophy and Wooden Award watch lists, Larkins scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Also in double figures for North Carolina was Preseason ACC Player of the Year Ivory Latta. The senior guard added 14 points and dished out three assists. Guard Camille Little recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior guard Kim Sheehy led the Hornets (1-4) with nine points, draining three treys, all in the first half. Freshman forward Erika Edwards added seven points and four rebounds.
The Tar Heels did the majority of their damage on the inside, outscoring Sacramento State 44-10 in the paint and outrebounding the Hornets 59-24. North Carolina also made 29 trips to the free-throw line, compared to just nine for Sacramento State.
North Carolina shot 49.3 Percent (35-of-71) from the floor, while the Hornets shot a season-low 23.6 percent (10-of-28).
The Hornets’ 38 points were the most a North Carolina opponent has scored all season.
In the first half, Sacramento State countered North Carolina’s 20 minutes of full-court pressure with three pointers from senior forward Ashley Storms, Sheehy and sophomore Becca Reams.
Storms was just one point shy of reaching her career high in the first three minutes of the game, scoring the Hornets’ first five points with a trey and layup.
Sacramento State took its first lead, 11-10, at the 15:14 mark after Reams drained a three-pointer. Sophomore guard Kelly Hughes added to that lead with a steal at midcourt. Fouled on her way to the basket, Hughes sank both of her free throws.
The Tar Heels then went on a 9-0 run that was halted by a 15-foot jumper from Cherry and a deep three-pointer from Sheehy on the Hornets’ next possession.
Three North Carolina players reached double figures in the first half, led by Larkins’ 15 points. Heather Claytor sank four three-pointers for her 12 first-half points and Little added 10 points with eight rebounds.
The Tar Heels held a 57-30 edge at the break.
Sacramento State will play the loser of UCLA and Gonzaga at 9 a.m. HT (11 a.m. PST) on Friday.
