Defeating your main opponent on your own home ground in front of a packed audience? Not bad for Senior Day.

The Duke Blue Devils were defeated by the North Carolina women’s basketball team with a final score of 63-59 during a crowded game at Carmichael Arena on Sunday afternoon. The team then honored their four seniors, Deja Kelly, Anya Poole, Alyssa Ustby, and Alexandra Zelaya, in a ceremony after the game. This was their last game of the regular season, with the Tar Heels (19-11, 11-7 ACC) seeking revenge for their previous loss against Duke in Durham three weeks prior.

Kelly scored 18 points and had the most rebounds on her team. Ustby scored 17 points, with 13 in the first half and shooting 6-7 from the field.

In the first game of the season, Carolina had a 14-point lead in the third quarter but ended up losing in overtime. On Sunday, UNC once again had an early advantage with a score of 17-7 in the first quarter. They had a shooting percentage of 53.8 compared to Duke’s 20 percent. However, Duke turned the tables in the second quarter with a 24-13 lead, including a 15-2 scoring run, and went into halftime with a 31-30 lead.

Both teams remained within three points of each other during the intense third quarter, with the score tied at 46-46 going into the fourth quarter. However, the Tar Heels gained the upper hand with a three-pointer by Zelaya early in the period and maintained their lead until the end. They had a nine-point advantage after Maria Gakdeng’s second-chance shot with 6:37 left to play, making the score 55-46, but that was the largest lead they had throughout the game.

In the final moments of the game, UNC had a five-point lead. However, Ashlon Jackson drew a foul while attempting a three-pointer and managed to make all three free throws, bringing the score to 60-58 with only 15 seconds left. Kelly made a free throw to increase the margin to three points, but Duke’s Taina Mair only made one of her free throws and missed the second. The Blue Devils snagged the offensive rebound, but Ustby blocked Kennedy Brown’s shot and recovered the ball, passing it to Kelly. Kelly was then fouled and the game continued.

With only five seconds left in the game, Kelly successfully made two free throws, resulting in a four-point lead. The Tar Heels were finally able to relax and begin celebrating their victory.

UNC’s shooting percentage improved to over 50% in the first three quarters, but ultimately ended the day at 49.1%, marking their best performance since defeating NC State on Feb. 22. This follows two consecutive losses on the road against Virginia Tech and Boston College.

“Jackson scored 17 points for Duke University, who had a record of 19 wins and 10 losses in the regular season and 11 wins and 7 losses in the ACC division. Taina Mair contributed 12 points to Duke’s total score.”

UNC, seeded eighth in the approaching ACC Tournament, will begin playing on Thursday at 1:30 against Miami, the ninth seed.

Notes:

• The team tied their record for most steals in an ACC game with 12, as Carolina’s Ustby and Indya Nivar each contributed four steals.

Kelly’s career scoring total has reached 1,823 points, placing her at eighth on UNC’s list of all-time scoring leaders.

On Thursday, newcomer Sydney Barker made her first three-point shot of her career during the game with BC. She entered the game as a substitute and was able to make another three-point shot with her only attempt of the day. On Sunday, four players made three-point shots, including Zelaya who made 2 out of 3 attempts, Ustby who made 1 out of 1 attempt, and Lexi Donarski who made 1 out of 5 attempts.

The attendance was reported to be at full capacity of 6,319 people.

UNC’s win against Duke in Chapel Hill was their third consecutive victory, marking the longest streak since they won four in a row at home between 2008 and 2011.

Source: wralsportsfan.com