Jan 9, 2003

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Tenth-ranked North Carolina never let Wake Forest take advantage of the confidence it gained from a big win earlier in the week.

The Tar Heels took a 25-6 lead and then used a 10-3 run to begin the second half on the way to an 86-56 win Thursday night, their 10th straight victory.

"I was really pleased with the way we opened both halves. We jumped on Wake Forest pretty good," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "Wake Forest didn't shoot very well, especially in the first half, and got themselves backed up against a wall."

Leah Metcalf and La'Tangela Atkinson scored 14 points apiece while Candace Sutton and Jennifer Thomas both had 12 for North Carolina (13-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

"This was a real good team effort," Hatchell said. "Good team scoring, good team balance."

Wake Forest (10-3, 1-2), which ended a 49-game losing streak to Virginia on Sunday night, missed 19 of its first 21 shots and ended up shooting just 25 percent (20-of-79) for the game.

"I want to be able to look a game tape and see if we had our eyes closed when we shot," Demon Deacons coach Charlene Curtis said. "We had that deer-in-the-headlights look. We were just beat, beat, beaten."

Leading 42-20 at intermission, North Carolina hit its first five shots of the second half and Sutton scored five points in the first 2:20 after the break. North Carolina pushed the lead to 62-30 with 14 minutes left after consecutive baskets from Atkinson.

Cotelia Bond-Young led the Demon Deacons with 14 points, and Tonia Brown added 10.

"We came out focused against Virginia," Bond-Young said. "North Carolina is just another team in the conference, and we should have been able to focus against them."

North Carolina outrebounded Wake Forest 60-47, with four Tar Heels players recording at least six boards. Hatchell is still unhappy that Wake Forest managed 22 offensive rebounds, while the Tar Heels recorded more turnovers (24) than assists (20).

"We're still a little sloppy at times," Hatchell said. "I'm still waiting to see us play an entire game like we played the first six to seven minutes of each half tonight."