By GEORGE HENRY
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) – Coretta Brown scored 23 points and Leah Metcalf had 15 as No. 11 North Carolina withstood Fallon Stokes’ career-high 34 points to beat Georgia Tech 72-67 Thursday night.
The Tar Heels (11-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), winners of seven straight since a three-point loss to then-No. 23 Oklahoma Nov. 30, trailed 41-35 with 15:29 remaining before going on an 18-4 run that ended with Metcalf’s transition layup.
Georgia Tech (11-2, 0-1), which had won a school-record 10 straight, drew within 65-63 at the 2:17 mark on a free throw by Stokes, who followed with consecutive turnovers. Megan Isom’s 3-pointer with 2:52 remaining was the Yellow Jackets’ final field goal.
Sonja Mallory, the ACC’s second-leading scorer, was just 1-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-7 on free throws. The Georgia Tech center finished with just five points, 14.6 below her average.
“We couldn’t do anything with Stokes, but I thought on Mallory we did a good job on her,” North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. “We started out not taking care of the basketball, trying to score too quick, but we got some transition going and started hitting threes.”
Brown made it 67-63 with 1:48 to go after driving past point guard Alex Stewart and weaving through the lane for an uncontested lay-in.
North Carolina put the game on the Yellow Jackets’ next possession. After Mallory missed a two-footer off the glass, Isom failed to hit a running shot from the baseline. Mallory grabbed the rebound, but Stokes was called for an offensive foul after taking a feed from Stewart.
“They were doubling down on Sonja, but Fallon’s capable of stepping up,” said coach Agnus Berenato, who is still seeking her first winning ACC record in 15 years at Georgia Tech. “We felt like if we could hold them under 70, we’d win. They got 72.”
The Tar Heels won their second straight over Georgia Tech and improved to 19-4 in the last 23 games between the two schools.
Brown was 8-for-12 from the floor, including 4-for-6 on 3-point attempts, to score a season high. The senior guard told her teammates to settle down after they got off to a sloppy start in the second half. North Carolina, which committed 27 turnovers in a win Tuesday over American, had 19 in its conference opener.
“If they see me panic, they’re going to panic,” Brown said. “I definitely have to keep my cool on the court.”
Georgia Tech was only 3-for-12 on 3-point attempts. Tar Heels leading scorer La’Tangela Atkinson finished with only two points on 1-for-7 shooting.
