The Tar Heels have improved as their team has come together and gotten healthier. But they had little to show for it in the last two months: until today.
AP Photos: No. 24 North Carolina at No. 3 Connecticut
Strong, versatile player who can contribute at a number of positions • Has tremendous basketball instincts and is considered the team's defensive stopper • Also one of the squad's best passers • Will miss the beginning of the season due to offseason shoulder surgery.
SOPHOMORE SEASON 2010-11 Appeared in 36 games and started 16, averaging 6.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game • Picked up a double-double in the season's second game with 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Robert Morris • Also dished out six assists • Just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds against Washington State in the opening game of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown • Averaged 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three games of the tournament • Filled the box score with nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the win over Iowa on Dec. 2 • Had 11 points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes against ETSU on Dec. 8 • Suffered a partial shoulder dislocation against South Carolina on Dec. 19 but did not miss a game • Had 11 points and a season-high four steals at Maryland on Jan. 23 • Pulled down a total of 23 rebounds in two games against Virginia and Virginia Tech on Jan. 28 and 30 • Threatened a triple-double with 10 points, a career-high eight assists and seven rebounds in the win over Duke on Feb. 7 • Missed the Georgia Tech game on Feb. 24 due to illness • Appeared in all four games of the ACC Tournament, averaging 4.8 points and 5.3 rebounds • Just missed a double-double in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over Fresno State • Also held Fresno's Jaleesa Ross, the second-most prolific three-point shooter in NCAA history, to 4-of-20 shooting from behind the arc • Averaged nearly a double-double in NCAA play, finishing with averages of 10.3 points and 9.0 rebounds for the three games • Scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Sweet 16 loss to Stanford.
FRESHMAN SEASON 2009-10 Appeared in 30 games and started 19, averaging 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per contest • Strong, versatile guard who looks to improve on an injury-plagued freshman season • Scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds in her collegiate debut against College of Charleston • Had eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds against UNLV on Nov. 22 • Scored a season-high 16 points and pulled down eight boards against Charleston Southern on Nov. 29 • Had her first career double-double two games later, a 13-point, 10-rebound effort in the win over St. John's • Had a season-best five steals against Radford on Dec. 8, one of 12 multi-steal efforts on the season • Suffered a dislocated shoulder early in the Winston-Salem State game on Jan. 2 • Missed the game against Georgia Tech four days later but returned to play nine minutes at Connecticut on Jan. 9 • Had 10 rebounds to go with six points and two steals against Virginia on Feb. 15 • Played 17 minutes and did not score in the ACC Tournament against Maryland • Scored two points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out four assists in the NCAA Tournament against Gonzaga.
PREP/PERSONAL Coached by Cavanaugh Hagan at T.C. Williams • McDonald's All-American and WBCA All-America selection as a senior • First-team Parade Magazine and ESPNRISE.com All-America • Ranked No. 9 in the nation by both ESPN Hoop Gurlz and the All-Star Girls Report • Also rated the No. 1 shooting guard by ESPN Hoop Gurlz • Two-time Gatorade Player of the Year for Virginia • Four-time Washington Post All-Met selection, including All-Met Player of the Year as a junior and a senior • 2006 USA Today National Freshman of the Year • Born Tierra La-she Ruffin-Pratt on April 11, 1991 in Fairfax, Va. • Daughter of Linwood Ruffin III and Deneen Pratt.
