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No. 4 UNC beats fifth-ranked Maryland, advances to ACC final

Mar 4, 2007 - 1:44 AM GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Ivory Latta and North Carolina wanted to carry on a tradition.

Latta scored 19 points to lead the fourth-ranked Tar Heels to a 78-72 triumph over No. 5 Maryland in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Jessica Breland netted 14 points and Erlana Larkins added 12 and 10 rebounds for North Carolina, which advanced to its sixth consecutive ACC championship game.

The Tar Heels (29-3, 11-3 ACC) have won the conference tournament the previous two seasons.

North Carolina grabbed a 37-30 advantage at halftime, shooting 44 percent (16-of-36) from the field.

In the second half, Maryland (27-5, 10-4) rallied to tie the game at 67-67 on Kristi Toliver's jumper, capping an impressive 12-3 surge with 2:04 remaining.

But Latta put UNC in her shoulders, scoring six of its final 11 points to seal the win and advance to Sunday's title game against intrastate rival North Caroline State, which handed No. 1 Duke its first loss of the season earlier Saturday.

Marissa Coleman had 18 points and eight rebounds and Crystal Langhorne scored 16 for the defending national champion Terrapins, who committed an eye-popping 24 turnovers.