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The No. 17 North Carolina Women’s Basketball Team (13-5, 4-3 ACC) defeated the No. 13 Dukes (16-2, 6-1 ACC) 61-56 Thursday night at Carmichael Arena.

what happened?

The Tar Heels took control of the game early and remained in that position throughout the first quarter, scoring 10 points before Duke took the board nearly eight minutes into the game. UNC’s defense helped facilitate this as the Blue Devils missed eight shots and turned the ball over six times.

However, North Carolina was not strong offensively as the team went 3-for-10 from the field during this period. The three-plus minute scoring deficit appeared to carry over into the second quarter, but junior guard Deja Kelly scored a jumper with seven seconds remaining to take a 12–5 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The shootout continued into the second quarter in North Carolina. UNC went scoreless for over five minutes after junior forward Alyssa Ustby made a layup with 8:17 left in the quarter to make the lead 16-9. During this time, Duke tied the game with sophomore guard Shayne Day Wilson scoring five straight points and UNC turning the ball over five times. After this, the Tar Heels found the bottom of the basket when Kerry scored five consecutive points, making the scores 21 each going into halftime.

After the break, both teams ran into each other in scoring bursts. Ustby scored four quick points to break the tie. Duke then responded, scoring seven consecutive points to take a three-point lead before North Carolina took a six-straight three-point lead.

Duke hit a 3-pointer with 4:44 left in the third quarter to tie the game at 31, but in the remainder of the quarter the Blue Devils missed all eight shooting attempts and overscored the ball three times. I was allowed to. The Tar Heels took advantage of shooting misfortune as he went 9-0, five of which came from Duke turnovers, leading 40-31 going into the final quarter. .

The fourth quarter was foul-laden for North Carolina, picking up 10 team fouls within nine minutes to help keep Duke in the game. Blue He managed to keep his distance with the Heels, although the Devils made only six of his ten free throws. He scored nine points on a 3-for-3 shooting Kerry’s clutch His shot and his 80% clip from the line helped Blue fend off his Devils to seal the game.

who stood out

Ustby’s performance in the third quarter was outstanding, as she scored 10 of 16 points in the quarter and went flawlessly 5-5 from the field. Astby also had a strong defensive performance with three steals and two blocks, adding five rebounds and three assists in the game.

Kerry’s strong fourth quarter was only a fraction of the scoring as he scored 19 points on the night and added 3 assists and 3 steals.

when did you decide?

The game was finally decided as redshirt guard Eva Hodgson knocked down two crucial free throws to put the game out of reach and give the Tar Heels the win.

Why is it important?

The win extended UNC’s conference winning streak to four games after losing the first three. With this win, the Tar Heels are now 2-0 up against their Tobacco Road rivals in road matchups with North Carolina State and Duke coming at the end of the season.

Additionally, the resilience the team has shown to maintain its lead at the end despite multiple mistakes bodes well for the future when North Carolina faces an even tougher matchup.