North Carolina Hopes To Rebound Against Virginia

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Jan. 6, 2000

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.–After being outplayed in a loss to rival North Carolina State on Monday, No.9 North Carolina faces another tough test with a visit to Virginia on Thursdaynight.

The Tar Heels (9-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) made a late run at thethird-ranked Wolfpack, but fell short and suffered a 79-72 defeat.

LaQuanda Barksdale and Nikki Teasley each scored 17 points for NorthCarolina, while Leah Sharp added 12.

Bouncing back will not be easy for North Carolina, as Virginia (9-4, 1-1)has rebounded from a poor start to win five straight games.

The Cavaliers struggled to open the season and got off to their worst startin 23 years. They have since turned it around during a six-game homestand whichconcludes with Thursday’s game. Virginia has won six straight home games.

The Cavaliers got their first league win with an 83-70 victory over GeorgiaTech on Monday.

Svetlana Volnaya, a 6-foot-1 junior forward, scored a career-high 29 pointsto lead Virginia, while Lisa Hosac scored 19 points and Schuye LaRue added 15.

North Carolina has dominated Virginia in recent seasons to trim theCavaliers’ lead in the all-time series to 27-26. The Tar Heels have won fivestraight and seven of the last eight meetings.