With the score 70-40, Monti took the game into her own hands and scored the game’s next six points unassisted.
“We wanted to keep it somewhat close,” Monti said. “There’s a big difference I think between losing by 20 and losing by 30. We just didn’t want to go out like that.”
The next Harvard basket came from co-captain Laura Barnard, who hit her last career three-pointer. Seniors Lindsay Ryba, Sharon Nunamaker and Barnard were all players whose promising careers were plagued by injuries, but earned the right to play in an NCAA tournament before their careers were finished.
“The injuries the senior class has had have been phenomenal,” Delaney-Smith said. “A lot of them don’t get a lot of game time and have been incredible leaders in the program. You won’t find seniors who are not out on the floor or who are not getting into the game who give that kind of leadership to a team.”
When the game finally ended, the teams shook hands vigorously, and the Harvard team put its hands together at center court in a sign of unity.
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Once the stage was cleared, the Tar Heels did a victory lap with the cheerleaders and looked ahead to the continuation of their season. Meanwhile, the Crimson players coped with the end of theirs.
No. 4 NORTH CAROLINA 85,
No. 13 W. HOOPS 58
at Carmichael Auditorium, Chapel Hill, N.C.
UNC (25-8, 11-5 ACC) Thomas 7-8 4-7 5, Brown 9-16 5-6 28, Sutton 5-12 3-9 13, Metcalf 1-11 0-0 2, Teasley 2-9 2-2 8, Baptist 1-2 0-0 2, Bell 3-5 1-2 7, McBee 0-2 0-0 0, Chambers 0-1 0-0 0, Laaksonen 0-2 0-0 0, Davis 2-2 1-4 5, Coughran 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-71 16-30 85.
HARVARD (22-6, 13-1 Ivy) Peljto 5-15 2-2 13, Gates 2-4 1-4 7, Cserny 4-11 8-9 16, Monti 3-10 2-2 16, Tubridy 2-4 0-0 4, Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Barnard 1-3 0-0 3, Dunham 0-3 0-0 0, Ides 1-2 0-1 3, Bell 2-3 0-0 4. Nunamaker 0-1 0-1 0, Ryba 0-1 0-0 0, Murphy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-60 13-19 58.
Halftime: Harvard 24, UNC 42. 3-pt. goals: UNC 7-22 (Brown 5-9, Teasley 2-7, Metcalf 0-5), H 5-18 (Gates 2-4, Peljto 1-1, Monti, Barnard 1-3). Fouled out: None. Rebounds: UNC 55 (Brown, Bell 7), H 38 (Peljto 7, Cserny 6). Assists: UNC 21 (Teasley 11), H 5 (Cserny 2). Fouls: UNC 19, H 22. A: 1725.