For the first three quarters, the North Carolina Tar Heels women’s basketball team looked in control in their 66-61 win over Miami on Thursday night in Chapel Hill. And despite getting the win, they had to hold off a late surge from Miami to avoid the upset.
UNC led 52-39 after three quarters, including jumping out to a 22-8 lead after the first. But in the fourth, the Hurricanes out-scored the Tar Heels 22-14 to get back in the game and try to pull the upset. They even cut the lead down to 62-61 with just over 28 seconds left on a steal and a layup.
While things looked dicey at the end, Courtney Banghart’s team didn’t back down and was able to seal the deal with stops and free throws late to escape.
It was a little nerve-wracking in the end, especially watching that big lead slowly trickle down. But when it mattered most, UNC was able to make those plays and get the big win at home.
All 🖐️ starters hit double figures as we improved to 5-0 at home in @accwbb play 🏠🏀 pic.twitter.com/T7Y2pdFjfY
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 26, 2024
The Tar Heels had five players in double digits in the game led by Deja Kelly’s 18 points as she helped pace UNC until the end. Maria Gakdeng added 13 while Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby each added 12 in the win.
With the win over Miami, UNC improved to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in ACC play putting them in a tie for first place with Syracuse atop the standings going into Sunday’s matchup against Virginia.
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