CLEVELAND - North Carolina and Tennessee brought back memories Tuesday night at the Quicken Loans Arena. But they didn't bring back the same outcome.

The Tar Heels held a double-digit lead against UT just as they did in the regional final of the NCAA tournament eight years ago in Nashville. And the Lady Vols mounted a second-half charge just as they did eight years ago on the way to a national championship.

But this time, North Carolina only faded slightly in the second half. It didn't fold.

Instead, it snapped out of its second-half offensive doldrums and charged into the Final Four with a 75-63 victory.

Tar Heels coach Sylvia Hatchell didn't think about that former regional collapse until after her team had withstood UT's challenge Tuesday night.

"We had about a 12-point lead with about seven minutes to go," Hatchell said of that 1998 game. "I had a freshman at point guard.

"I remember when Tennessee was making a charge, my point guard stood over in the corner. Oh no, to have my point guard do that She's got to want the ball like Ivory (Latta). Ivory wants the ball."

Latta wanted the ball with the shot clock running down and North Carolina's lead down to six points with 3:27 to play.

"Coach told me to back it out," Latta said. "I saw they were just standing there. When they didn't come out to get me, I took the shot."

Latta was 22 feet from the basket and the shot clock was about to expire when she hit the 3-pointer that put the Tar Heels back up by nine points.

She later assisted on another Tar Heels basket and made six consecutive free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.

But this game was won in the first half when North Carolina played like the nation's No. 1 team and UT looked as shell-shocked as it did in a 22-point loss to Duke on Jan. 23.

The Tar Heels had all the weapons to exploit a UT team that has struggled at times to protect the basketball. Their quickness, athleticism and depth had a dizzying effect on the Lady Vols, who committed 12 of their 22 turnovers in the first half.

"We weren't even able to get in an offense a lot of times," UT guard Shanna Zolman said. "We let them rattle us and speed us up. When we did break their press, we were forced to do more one-on-one."

One-on-one, UT couldn't match up with the more-athletic Tar Heels.

"You just can't go one-on-one with five great defenders and the type of athleticism that they brought," UT coach Pat Summitt said.

In fact, UT needed the same thing North Carolina needed eight years ago. It needed a steady, experienced hand at point guard.

UT has manned that position by committee for much of the season, starting with Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, who transferred at mid-season. Next up was Alexis Hornbuckle, who later suffered a wrist injury that caused her to miss seven games and left her playing with her right hand in a splint in the NCAA tournament. Both Candace Parker and Zolman also have taken turns at the point guard since mid-season.

Parker, a 6-foot-5 freshman, has the talent and savvy for the position. She just doesn't have the experience.

You need both talent and experience at the point against a full-court defense as intense and relentless as North Carolina's. And you don't need a point guard with her right hand in a splint.

Parker had eight turnovers against the Tar Heels. Hornbuckle had six. Eight of their combined 14 turnovers came in the first half.

Latta had four turnovers, but she also had a game-high nine assists, 20 points, four steals, and an unshakable confidence.

"As kids, we looked at Tennessee as a dominant team," Latta said. "But we have stepped up.

"We are the best team in the nation, and we showed it."