Wake Forest University
*North Carolina
Deacs Edge No. 10 North Carolina, 69-67
1/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Liz Strunk scored 15 points and Tonia Brown added 14 to lead Wake Forest to a 69-67 victory over No. 10 North Carolina on Monday night.
The Demons Deacons beat North Carolina (No. 11 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) for the fourth time in the last five years at Joel Coliseum. Wake Forest coach Charlene Curtis has 64 victories in her seven seasons, but four of those have been over North Carolina when it was ranked.
"I'm so happy for the players," Curtis said. "They've worked so hard and really deserve this. I just can't say enough about their effort because it was a full 40 minutes."
Liz Strunk scored 15 points and Tonia Brown added 14 points to lead Wake Forest, which broke a 10-game losing streak against ranked opponents. The Tar Heels are the highest ranked oppponent the Deacs have defeated since Feb. 2, 1993 when Wake Forest knocked off #7/9 Maryland.
Strunk, a 73 percent shooter from the foul line, made two key free throws with 21 seconds left and Brown made one of two free throws with 13.5 seconds left to help the Demon Deacons (9-9, 2-5 ACC).
The Tar Heels (15-3, 5-2) had a final shot to tie the game but Nikita Bell missed a short jumper at the buzzer.
Cotelia Bond-Young scored 13 points with 10 coming in the second half and Erin Ferrell also scored 13 for the Demon Deacons.
Freshman Camille Little led the Tar Heels with 18 points and 12 rebounds and Leah Metcalf added 16 points, including a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left that brought the Tar Heels within 68-67.
Brown then made one of two free throws before the Tar Heels had their final shot.
Candace Sutton scored 12 points for the Tar Heels and Ivory Latta added 11.
North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell, whose team had an eight-point lead with 9:14 left, watched the Demon Deacons take the lead for good with 4:32 left when Melissa Washington hit a short jumper to make it 59-57.
"We just didn't finish things off," said Hatchell, whose team outrebounded the Demon Deacons by 12. "We've got to get better and making the big plays and doing the things we're capable of doing."
With 24 seconds left and the Demon Deacons leading 66-64, Metcalf missed two free throws.
The Demon Deacons missed their first five shots and committed two turnovers as the Tar Heels took a 5-0 lead. But the Demon Deacons, who have beaten the Tar Heels four of the last five times at home, fought back to take as much as a seven-point lead. An 11-2 run by the Demon Deacons turned a two-point deficit into a 30-23 lead with 4:20 left in the half.
Freshman point guard Porsche' Jones hit two 3-pointers in the spurt and the second, from the top of the key with the shot clock winding down, ended the run.
The Tar Heels turned up the defensive pressure and the Demon Deacons failed to score the rest of the half. The Tar Heels closed the half with a 10-0 for a 33-30 lead.
