No. 7 North Carolina 87, Wofford 50
12/8/2005 10:25 PM
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - The tired North Carolina Tar Heels still made quick work of overmatched Wofford.
La'Tangela Atkinson had 15 points, six assists three blocks to help No. 7 North Carolina rout Wofford 87-50 on Thursday night for its 24th straight home victory.
``We're tired, and we were a little sluggish tonight,'' coach Sylvia Hatchell said. ``We're stressed. It's as much mentally tired as physically, with exams coming up.''
The game was the Tar Heels' seventh in 13 days. That period, ending with the end of classes today for exams, included a trip to Cancun, Mexico, and road victories over Arizona State and Connecticut.
Alex Miller added 13 points for North Carolina (9-0), Ivory Latta had 11 and Camille Little 10. Erlana Larkins was 4-for-4 from the field and had eight points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes of play.
Atkinson, a 6-2 senior, has 998 career points at North Carolina.
``Everyone kept telling me to, 'Shoot! Shoot!' I kept wondering why,'' Atkinson said, unaware during the game of her career total. ``I never think about offense. Defense is always on my mind.''
North Carolina was 31-of-55 (56.4 percent) from the floor, its most accurate shooting this season. The Tar Heels made 10 3-pointers, with Miller and Heather Claytor each making three.
K.C. Correll led Wofford (4-2) with 11 points.
The Tar Heels hit 19 of their first 33 shots (57.6 percent) and led 45-25 at the half. They took their biggest lead, 85-48, on Miller's layup with 3:01 left.
``People back home asked me what I thought about North Carolina,'' said Wofford coach Edgar Farmer, a manager for North Carolina's 1994 NCAA champions. ``I told them I thought this team could win another national championship. After seeing them tonight, I know I was right.''
North Carolina held Wofford to 20-for-58 shooting (35 percent) and forced it into 26 turnovers.
``It's impossible to defend a team like them, with scorers at every position,'' Farmer said. ``Defensively, they can take you out of your game with a press over 94 feet or they can take you out of your half-court game.''
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