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Five straight UNC advances to fifth straight Sweet 16, defeats Alabama
Posted: Sunday March 14, 1999 10:32 PM
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Alabama coach Rick Moody knew North Carolina's game plan heading into their second-round NCAA tournament matchup Sunday would be to stop All-American Dominique Canty. The Tar Heels executed their plan to perfection and earned their fifth straight trip to the round of 16. Canty was held to 14 points - all in the first half -- and no other Crimson Tide player reached double figures as North Carolina won 70-56. Canty took only three shots in the second half as the Tar Heels sent two defenders -- primarily Chanel Wright or Juana Brown -- after her every time she touched the ball. "The defense they played on her made a really big difference," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. Nikki Teasley scored 13 points, including five in the final 2:25, to lead North Carolina (28-7). She also had a steal and two rebounds in the decisive stretch. "We played tremendously on defense," said Teasley, who also had a game-high eight assists. '"anty's a great player but we had a lot of communication and a lot of help on her. That frustrated her. We felt like if she's not in the game, Alabama's not in the game." Canty finished her career with 2,275 points, the most ever by an Alabama player. She made only 5-of-15 shots and did not score in the second half. "They said, 'Somebody else is going to have to beat us' and nobody for us ever did," Moody said. The teams were tied 36-36 at halftime but North Carolina built a seven point lead early in the second half, holding Alabama without a field goal over a six-minute span. Alabama (20-11) cut the lead to three on three occasions in the final seven minutes but North Carolina answered with a basket each time. The Tide trailed 60-56 with four minutes left and twice had chances to pull closer but committed turnovers. Teasley sank a 3-pointer with 2:25 left to restore the Heels' seven-point lead and scored in the lane to put North Carolina up 65-56 with 1:10 to go. "I'm just a sophomore but we talk about feeding off me," said Teasley. "I'm a leader and I felt like I had to do something to make a difference." LaQuanda Barksdale scored 17 points and Brown added 14 for North Carolina. Neither team led by more than two points until Teasley sank a 3-pointer from the right wing with 10:01 left to give the Tar Heels a 17-14 lead. North Carolina forced three Alabama turnovers over the next three minutes and pushed the lead to as large as eight. But Canty scored six points in the final 5:37 as the Tide outscored the Tar Heels 16-8 to draw even by halftime. Canty scored 14 points in the first half but struggled, missed two layups and sent an airball up from 12 feet away. The Tar Heels have won 11 straight NCAA tournament games at Carmichael Auditorium, including a 74-73 overtime win over Alabama in 1993. The Tide had reached the regionals the past five seasons, making it to the Final Four in 1994.
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