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Latta, UNC use second-half run to beat Maryland

Jan 29, 2007 - 3:04 AM COLLEGE PARK, Maryland (Ticker) -- Ivory Latta and North Carolina finally had the answer for defending champion Maryland.

Latta scored a season-high 32 points as the second-ranked Tar Heels exacted some revenge against the No. 3 Lady Terrapins with an 84-71 Atlantic Coast Conference victory.

Extending the nation's longest winning streak to 23 games, North Carolina (23-0, 7-0 ACC) avenged a pair of setbacks to Maryland last season, including one in the national semifinals. Those were the only two losses for the Tar Heels last season.

Displaying more energy than the Lady Terrapins early on, the Tar Heels grabbed a 35-27 lead at the half before extending the advantage to 20 points with 15:12 remaining.

Maryland (21-2, 5-2), however, did not go down without a fight, scoring 31 of the game's next 43 points to close within 67-66 on a short jumper by Shay Doron with 3:17 to go.

Erlana Larkins responded with a layup and Latta hit a jumper as North Carolina closed out the game with a 17-5 run.

Larkins had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Camille Little chipped in 17 and eight for the Tar Heels, who turned 21 turnovers by the Lady Terrapins into 24 points.

Doron scored 19 points and Crystal Langhorne added 14 and 10 rebounds for Maryland, which shot 38.6 percent (27-of-70) in front of a crowd of 17,950 - the largest to view an ACC women's game.