Paul Sancya / AP

North Carolina's Ivory Latta shoots against Tennessee's Sidney Spencer in the second half of the Tar Heels' victory on Tuesday.

Camille Little added 17 points and La’Tangela Atkinson had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who lost to eventual NCAA champion Baylor in a regional final last year.

When the tournament pairings were announced, North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell lamented her team’s plight. She didn’t like that her top-ranked team had to play its second-round game against Vanderbilt on the Commodores’ home floor or being stuck in the same bracket with the second-seeded Lady Vols.

She’s all smiles now.

“I knew Tennessee would come at us,” she said. “I knew they would make a run, but our kids are tough.”

None more than Latta.

With the ball in her hands counting down the final seconds, Latta slapped hands with Atkinson, screamed “Yeah” and pointed toward James, the Cavaliers’ superstar who was sitting in a luxury suite. The two first met at high school All-Star game in Cleveland a few years back.

“We flexed at each other,” Latta said. “I have the bigger arms. I was so glad he was here.”

Parker led the Lady Vols with 20 points and nine rebounds, but had eight turnovers against Carolina’s swarming defense. Sidney Spencer added 13 points and Shanna Zolman 11 for Tennessee, which will head home instead of to their fifth Final Four in a row.

“It seemed like every time we came at them they answered,” Parker said. “Every time we were almost over the hump they seemed to come back with a run or a steal or a 3. We just needed a better first half and that would have solved everything because in the second half we competed with them.”

North Carolina’s trapping defense harassed, disrupted and stripped Tennessee of any offensive flow in the first half. At times, the Lady Vols looked confused and Summitt’s face turned as orange as her blouse during a heated timeout.

“Yeah, I knew they were rattled,” Latta said. “They were yelling at each other. That’s how we play, and that’s how we’re going to keep playing.”

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