CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– It was a defensive slugfest but the Tar Heels emerged victorious at Carmichael Arena Thursday night.
No. 19 North Carolina women’s basketball outlasted No. 14 Duke with a hard-fought 53-46 overtime win improving to 14-3 on the season (2-2 ACC).
Boasting the ACC’s best defense, the Tar Heels showcased their defensive prowess yet were bridled by their own offensive woes and an equally tough Duke defense.
UNC shot just 32.1 percent from the field yet held the Blue Devils to a stifling 23.5 percent from both the field and beyond the arc.
The first half alone epitomized the defensive nature of the contest with both teams locked in a 16-16 stalemate, managing just six field goals apiece while going cold from three-point range.
UNC head coach Courtney Banghart had anticipated the physical nature of the rivalry matchup, but the offensive drought caught her by surprise.
“I told the TV guys that I was looking forward to a really competitive and fun match, and at halftime was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve only scored 16 points,” Banghart said.
After the deadlock, North Carolina surged ahead in the third quarter but Duke’s resilient offense forced overtime. While the Blue Devils struck first with three points in the overtime period, UNC took over from there mounting a 10-3 run to upset their rivals and take the first of this season’s two-game series.
Graduate guard Lexi Donarksi, who was 0-of-5 from the floor, hit a clutch 3-pointer that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good as well as her first points of the night.
Timely defensive stops and a perfect 7-of-7 free-throw shooting night from freshman guard Lanie Grant were also key in the win.
“We started to just trust that when you create separation against a team like this, you’re gonna have space,” Banghart said.
This isn’t the high-flying North Carolina team that’s been averaging 73.1 points per game. And this definitely isn’t the team that turns the ball over 26 times. Nevertheless, the team must quickly pivot their focus to today’s home matchup against Wake Forest.
“We need to get back to what we do,” Banghart emphasized. “It’s another top 25 win, top 20 win at home against a really good team, a rivalry game, a lot of physicality and emotions coming off a loss. That matters. The nuance of whatever happened tonight I don’t have a lot of answers for that.”
