Lee-ving North Carolina: Harvard Can’t Match UNC Strength

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—For four years, Harvard fans have had the pleasure of watching 5’6 senior point guard Jenn Monti breeze past towering forwards and defend imposing giants in Lavietes Pavilion. She has become known for her intelligent play, record-setting quick dishes and her prowess as a scorer.

But Carmicheal Auditorium flaunted an entirely different kind of point guard, a pair led onto the floor by the Tar Heels’ mascot—that looks like a ram—and the cheers of hundreds of fans.

Quickness wasn’t the missing factor for the Crimson on Saturday, nor did Harvard appear to be out of its element as it took a quick 8-4 lead in the first two minutes. But, as the Tar Heels boxed Harvard out on the board and grabbed 12 steals, a distinct North Carolina advantage began to emerge.

Yes, only a few hundred of the 1,725 people in attendance were rooting for Harvard, as the Tar Heels brandished a pavilion coated in light blue to a point of disgust. But UNC’s real dominance seemed to stem from the pure strength and force of its players, exhibited perfectly in its two guards—junior tri-captain Coretta Brown and senior Nikki Teasley.

“I think there are some fine players or student-athletes in the Ivy League,” Delaney-Smith said. “But I would say there’s not a backcourt like that in the Ivy League or in many leagues across the country.”

Teasley, the 6’0 2000 ACC Tournament MVP, has received a lot of lip service, especially this year as she returned from taking a year off due to clinical depression. But this season, her victory shimmy, known as the Teasley Shake reigned again as she currently sits in eighth place on the Tar Heels’ all-time scoring list, passing Marion Jones in the process. Though Teasley didn’t shine in shooting percentage, her vision of the court yielded 11 assists, five of which she dished to Brown.

Brown served as the Crimson back-breaker, predominately as the shooting guard, which is a recent change in the UNC line-up. Brown stepped up in Teasley’s absence last year, earning the position of starting point guard. But on Jan. 27 this year, Teasley moved back to the point and Brown settled into shooting guard where she has thrived. The versatility of the backcourt twosome provided UNC with a threat that Harvard could not contain.

On Saturday night, the duo demonstrated its power, as Brown drowned the Crimson’s strong start with treys. Even more than their might in the paint, the Tar Heels’ guards shut the offense down, disrupting the flow of Harvard’s game, dominating on the boards and forcing the Crimson’s leading scorers out of the picture for most of the game.

Freshman Reka Cserny played with poise, scoring a team-best 16 points in spite her rookie status, but two early fouls sent her off the court for five minutes and the Crimson into deficit.

“I think [Reka] would have been even more effective but the game was very physical and I don’t think the calls went her way,” Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith said. “If you look at her body she has a slight build for a freshman and she’s only going to get bigger and stronger.”

“Bigger” and “stronger” seem appropriate when describing several UNC players, most notably Teasley, Brown and 6’6 sophomore center Candace Sutton. Brown stands at 5’8 but demonstrated the pure strength that seeped from the Tar Heels’ side of the game as she forced her way to the basket.

While Monti held a speed and agility advantage over many of her opponents, one inescapable benefit the Tar Heels held was height.

“Tonight I could see over the guard that they had on me [Monti] and that helped me to see my players,” Teasley said.

UNC gave the Crimson an incredibly physical game, heightened by the pure “athleticism” of the Tar Heels. Maybe it came with the home turf, but the UNC players exuded confidence from the minute they stepped on the court to the buzzer. In the struts and the “Shake,” the physically imposing Tar Heels announced through their size and apparent strength that they were ready to win.

“I like big guards,” UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “Marion [Jones] spoiled me. You just can’t press big guards as well.”

Harvard didn’t have the big players or the light blue bathrooms in its favor on Saturday night, but still demonstrated its potential strength against powerhouses outside the Ivy League. Brief glimpses of the Crimson team that dominated team after team this season shone through, as Monti scored six-straight points within a minute, as Hana Peljto hit a trey, as Dirkje Dunham took a charge late in the first.

These peeks combined with the strong returning contingent and additions from the recruiting class and Louisiana Tech transfer Bev Moore reveal promise that next season could bring a Harvard team that struts, and then backs it up.

But before the Crimson can look to the second round of NCAAs, it has to press strong players such as Brown, so she can’t force her way to open baskets, or Teasley, so she can’t make any pass because of her size. Harvard has to hold onto the ball, control the flow of its own game, contend with these physically intimidating players and beat them consistently.