MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. ββ North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell won her 1,000th career game with a 79-63 victory over Grambling State on Tuesday afternoon at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Hatchell, a 2013 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee, becomes only the third women's basketball coach in history to reach 1,000 career victories, joining former Tennessee legend Pat Summitt and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer.
A Coach.
β UNC Women's Hoops (@uncwbb)
A Tar Heel.
A Legend.
Congratulations Hatchell!!
Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma will go for his 1,000th victory tonight at home against Oklahoma.
Senior Jamie Cherry led North Carolina (10-2) to its eighth consecutive win by scoring 22 points.
Taylor Koenen had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Janelle Bailey added 15 ooints and Paris Kea finished with 14 points for her 25th straight game in double figures.
An 8-0 run gave Carolina some breathing room in the second half. A brilliant three-point play from Cherry put the Heels ahead 57-47 with two minutes, 35 seconds left in the third period. Meanwhile, at the other end of the floor the UNC defense only gave up 10 points in the quarter and led 61-49 heading to the final period.
Koenen got the Tar Heels moving in the right direction in the second quarter after trailing 23-19 after 10 minutes. The Savage, Minnesota, native knocked down a pair of three-pointers and had 11 points by halftime. Freshman Leah Church drilled two triples as well as Carolina found itself leading 44-39 at halftime over the Tigers.
From victory number to, the thrill is always the same!
β UNC Women's Hoops (@uncwbb)