Women's Basketball ACCtion: Thursday, February 21
Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina win.



Feb. 21, 2008

Zoll Becomes ACC's All-Time Assist Leader In UVa's 83-71 Win Over Clemson

Senior point guard Sharneé Zoll became the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time assist leader, breaking a 16-year-old record held by former Cavalier Dawn Staley, and Virginia defeated Clemson, 83-71, Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena.

Zoll finished the game with seven assists and 731 for her career. The previous ACC record, 729, was set by Staley from 1989-1992. The Philadelphia, Pa., native chipped in eight points, four steals and a career-high nine rebounds to cap off her history-making night.

Aisha Mohammed, meanwhile, scored a career-high 26 points and Monica Wright and Lyndra Littles each netted 19.

Mohammed led the Cavaliers (20-7, 8-3) to a 39-30 halftime lead over the Tigers with 17 first-half points. Zoll dished out three assists in the first stanza, as UVa out-shot and out-rebounded Clemson.

In the second half, the Cavaliers used a balanced attack to extend their lead in the early minutes. Zoll's record-breaking helper came on a high-flying alley oop pass to Wright, who finished the layup to set the record.

Clemson (10-16, 3-8 ACC) battled to within six points, 71-65, with 4:27 left in the second half, but Virginia rallied and converted free throws down the stretch to earn the victory.

No. 2 Tar Heels Down Hurricanes, 79-61

Erlana Larkins scored 18 points to lead No. 2 North Carolina to a 79-61 victory over Miami on Thursday night.

Rashanda McCants finished with 17 points and Rebecca Gray scored 15 points as the Tar Heels wore down the Hurricanes with two first-half runs. North Carolina (25-2, 12-0) has won eight straight and 16 of its past 17. Maurita Reid scored 18 points to lead Miami (9-17, 2-9).

The Hurricanes have lost eight of their past nine. Trailing 12-9, the Tar Heels scored 16 unanswered points in a span of 5:50 in the first half and took the lead for good. McCants scored eight points during the spurt.

Jessica Breland's short jumper with 7:12 remaining in the half capped the run. Reid hit three 3-pointers in the next 1:50 as the Hurricanes cut North Carolina's lead to 27-21. Damisha Moore's field goal with 3:50 left again cut North Carolina's advantage to six at 29-23. But the Tar Heels outscored the Hurricanes 18-5 the rest of the half, behind Gray's eight points, including two 3-pointers.

Seminole Women's Basketball Takes Over Fifth Spot In ACC With 71-65 Win Over BC

Facing a nearly must-win game to keep its hopes of getting the fifth spot in the ACC Tournament and a bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Florida State women's basketball team was happy to be back at the Donald L. Tucker. The Seminoles used a scoring spurt at the end of the first half to grab the lead then held on in the second half for the 71-65 victory over Boston College on Thursday (February 21).

The Seminoles snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 16-10 on the year and 6-5 in the ACC. FSU moved a half game ahead of Boston College for fifth place in the league as the Eagles dropped to 18-9 overall, 6-6 in the conference.

Crossing the 20-point plateau for the third game in a row was guard Tanae Davis-Cain (Dawson, Ga.) with 20 points. Four Seminoles scored in double figures with Mara Freshour (Nashville, Ind.) at 14 markers while Alysha Harvin (Dania, Fla.) tossed in 11 and Shante Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.) had 10.

All but one Seminole had at least one rebound and five different players grabbed four or more led by Jacinta Monroe (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) with a half dozen. She also scored nine points and had four blocks. The four swats moved her up to number two on the FSU single-season charts at 68. Williams had four assists.

The Seminoles were very accurate from behind the three-point line as they hit 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) compared to just 28.6 percent (2-of-7) by BC. FSU held a 19-to-15 advantage on the boards, including 10 offensive rebounds, and committed five fewer turnovers. The Eagles held a 48 percent (12-of-25) to 42.4 percent (14-of-33) advantage in shooting.