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No. 7 N Carolina cruises past ETSU 104-65

Dec 31, 2009 - 10:38 PM CHAPEL HILL, N.C.(AP) -- North Carolina's players are getting accustomed to their renovated home.

Italee Lucas scored 17 points to help No. 7 North Carolina defeat East Tennessee State 104-65 on Thursday.

Cetera DeGraffenreid and She'la White added 15 points each for the Tar Heels (11-1), who shook off some early shooting struggles in their second game of the season at Carmichael Auditorium.

"It's kind of different here, so we're still adjusting to that," said White, whose team played its first seven home games this season at the Dean E. Smith Center. "It's not going to take long."

Martina Wood scored a career-high 12 points and Waltiea Rolle had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who shot 51 percent from the field in the second half after shooting 37 percent in the first half. Laura Broomfield grabbed 14 of her career-high 15 rebounds in the first half for North Carolina.

North Carolina dominated the smaller Buccaneers inside even without starting post player Chay Shegog, who was recovering from a concussion she suffered in the Tar Heels' 89-44 win over Kennesaw State on Tuesday.

The Tar Heels reached 100 points for the first time this season. The game's fast pace helped North Carolina reach 72 rebounds, one shy of the school record set in 1976.

"I loved the tempo," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "Some of our decisions weren't what they needed to be, but I loved the tempo."

TaRonda Wiles scored 22 points on 10 of 27 shooting to lead East Tennessee State (4-6), which trailed 48-35 at halftime. Siarre Evans and Iesha Robinson added 13 points apiece for the Buccaneers.

North Carolina pulled away late in the first half, snapping a 27-27 tie with a 16-1 run. The Tar Heels shot 6 for 7 from the floor and 4 for 5 on free throws during that stretch, holding the Buccaneers without a field goal for almost 5 minutes.

North Carolina also benefited from Evans' foul trouble. Evans picked up her second foul with 5:25 remaining in the first half, going to the bench for the remainder of the period. The Tar Heels scored the next 12 points and held Evans scoreless for the rest of the game.

"I think we just settled down and started pushing the ball a little more and started finishing," White said.

The Tar Heels blew open the game with a 14-2 spurt early in the second half. They forced five consecutive turnovers during that stretch, converting three of them into layups.

The Buccaneers, who shot 31 percent for the game, committed 16 of their 27 turnovers in the second half.

"I thought we did a pretty decent job in the first half," ETSU coach Karen Kemp said. "In the second half, we didn't treasure the basketball the first five minutes. That's when they really took control."