Jan. 28, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -Playing on the road against the defending national champions before an energized sellout crowd, No. 2 North Carolina didn't flinch.

Ivory Latta scored a season-high 32 points, and the unbeaten Tar Heels extracted a measure of revenge against No. 3 Maryland with an 84-71 victory Sunday night.

The crowd of 17,950 was the largest to watch a women's basketball game in Atlantic Coast Conference history, surpassing the 17,243 that viewed the Terrapins' loss to Duke in February 2005. Maryland has hosted the top five crowds in ACC history.

On this night, however, the Terps (21-2, 5-2) waited too long to match the intensity of their enthusiastic fans. Maryland fell behind with five minutes elapsed and never caught up, crumbling under a series of turnovers and missed shots.

Latta made four 3-pointers and the Tar Heels (23-0, 7-0) made eight of their first nine shots in the second half to open up a 55-35 lead with 15 minutes remaining. Although the Terrapins eventually got within one point, they couldn't complete the comeback.

Erlana Larkins had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Camille Little scored 17 points for the Tar Heels, whose 23-game winning streak is longest in the nation. North Carolina and top-ranked Duke, which handed Maryland its other defeat this season, are the lone remaining unbeaten teams in the nation.

North Carolina lost only two games last season - both to Maryland. The first loss came in overtime during the regular season, and the second came in the semifinals of the Final Four.

Shay Doron led Maryland with 19 points and Crystal Langhorne added 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Terps committed 21 turnovers and shot 39 percent.

Maryland trailed 65-59 before Doron hit a 3-pointer, Kristi Toliver scored in the lane and Doron added a short jumper to make it 67-66.

Larkins followed with a layup, however, and a jumper in the lane by Latta put North Carolina up 71-66 with 2:02 remaining. Little then hit a short jumper, and two foul shots by Latta gave the Tar Heels a nine-point cushion with one minute to go.

North Carolina limited the Terrapins to 22 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers in taking a 35-27 halftime lead.

Playing in a charged atmosphere usually reserved for the postseason, both teams appeared jittery at the outset. Despite going 2-for-10 with five turnovers in the opening five minutes, Maryland trailed only 7-6 because the Tar Heels missed eight of their initial 11 field-goal tries.

With eight minutes elapsed, Langhorne was 2-for-3 from the floor and the rest of the Terrapins were 1-for-12.

At that point, North Carolina finally found its shooting touch. Little hit a jumper in the lane and added a layup before Larkins scored on a driving layup and nailed a 15-footer to cap an 8-0 run that made it 20-9.

After Maryland coach Brenda Frese called a timeout, Doron hit a jumper to end a scoring drought of more than five minutes. Soon after that, however, Heather Claytor and Latta each made a 3-pointer in an 8-2 spurt that put the Tar Heels up 29-15.

The Terrapins closed to 33-27 before the usually reserved Frese went onto the floor to complain after Toliver appeared to be fouled in the backcourt. Frese was called for a technical foul, and Latta made both free throws.