The thirteenth-ranked North Carolina women’s basketball remains undefeated after beating the No. 23 UCLA Bruins 84-68 Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena. With the win, the Tar Heels improved to 2-0 on the season.

The Bruins have now dropped to 0-2 this season and are now 4-5 against the Tar Heels all-time.

After scoring 30 points against UCLA almost a year ago today, Allisha Gray still continues to shine on the court and once again, led her team in scoring with 19 points and 6 rebounds.

“She had 30 against us last year so you would think we might have learned our lesson,”  Bruin head coach Cori Close says. “It’s a credit to her, she’s a really good player and she can do a lot of different things to hurt you. You can’t just take away Gray’s three-point shot; she exposes any other weaknesses in your defense.”

Gray has been UNC’s leading scorer in every game so far, including exhibition play.

The Tar Heels tipped off the contest with a 2-0 advantage, caused by an administrative technical on the Bruins.

Those free throws were shot by senior Brittany Rountree, who had a fantastic shooting night, scoring four three-pointers and shooting 5-6 from the free-throw line.

Perimeter shots from Gray, freshman Jamie Cherry, and sophomore Jessica Washington gave the Heels the shot consistency they’ve been waiting for to pick apart the Bruins’ zone defense.

Carolina began to pull away early in the first half when Washington nailed a big shot assisted by Megan Buckland. UNC then regained possession of the ball and quickly in-bounded for a score from Hillary Summers to set the score at 20-12.

UCLA was led on the attack by  Nirra Fields, who scored a total 21 points and shot 8-24 from the field.

The Bruins went on an 11-3 run to close the gap and end the half at a 45-40 Carolina lead.

Mavunga and Gray both checked out of the game after receiving their fourth foul apiece in consecutive plays, but missing their preseason All-ACC selections didn’t slow the Tar Heels down one bit. They continued on an 8-0 run to put themselves up 20 with a 66-46 lead.

UCLA outrebounded UNC and was able to battle back and come within 8 points of the Heels with just under seven minutes to play, but Carolina coasted past the Bruins to extend the lead and seal the win.

Xylina McDaniel also made a strong contribution for Carolina with her 16-point and 8-rebound performance, alongside Washington and Cherry, who both netted 10 points apiece.

Carolina will play its third consecutive home game against No. 21 Oklahoma State on Wednesday. The game will be televised on ESPN3 and broadcast on 97.9 FM, WCHL.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Related Stories
‹
Paradise Jam Schedule Released for UNC Women's Basketball
As part of the 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam this upcoming November, the UNC women’s basketball team will take on Kentucky, South Florida and UCLA. The specific dates and times of those matchups were released on Thursday, with the four teams set to compete in a three-game round-robin tournament to determine a tournament winner. […]
Gray Scores 30 In Women's Basketball Road Win At UCLA
Freshman Allisha Gray scored a game-high 30 points to lead No. 12/14 North Carolina to a 78-68 victory at UCLA Sunday at Pauley Pavilion.
Women's Basketball: UNC Adds Sam Miller and Sean Sullivan to Coaching Staff
UNC head women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart announced Monday that the Tar Heels have added both Sam Miller and Sean Sullivan to the team staff. Miller will serve as Director of Scouting and Video Operations and Sullivan will serve as Director of Player Personnel Development and Recruiting Operations. Most recently, Miller was an assistant coach and […]
Itoro Coleman Hired as UNC Women's Basketball Assistant Coach
The UNC women’s basketball program announced Monday Itoro Coleman has joined the staff as an assistant coach, after spending last season in a similar role at Marquette. Coleman was a three-time All-ACC selection as a player at Clemson, where she would go on to also serve as both an assistant coach and as head coach. […]
UNC Women's Basketball Adding William & Mary Transfer Eva Hodgson
William & Mary guard Eva Hodgson revealed Monday on Twitter that she is transferring to UNC for her final two years of collegiate eligibility. Hodgson sat out the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 concerns, but started all 60 games she played in during the two years prior. She was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie […]
Janelle Bailey Selected as WBCA All-American Honorable Mention
UNC senior forward Janelle Bailey was named an All-American honorable mention on Monday by the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association. Bailey has been a four-year starter for the Tar Heels and led the team in both scoring and rebounding this past season, averaging 13.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. A four-time All-ACC selection and the […]
Petra Holešínská to Compete in College Three-Point Championship
UNC graduate transfer Petra Holešínská was selected Monday to compete in the upcoming State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Holešínská is one of eight players who will compete for the women’s three-point crown on Thursday, after finishing the season as UNC’s top threat from long distance–making 56 total […]
Wake Forest Hands UNC Women's Basketball Early Exit From ACC Tournament
Despite a career-high 23 points from freshman guard Alyssa Ustby, the UNC women’s basketball team fell to Wake Forest 82-71 on Thursday in Greensboro as part of the ACC Tournament Second Round. The Demon Deacons (12-11, 8-10 ACC) were red-hot from three-point range, shooting 10-for-17 from deep on the way to the victory. In addition […]
UNC's Janelle Bailey, Deja Kelly Earn All-ACC Women's Basketball Honors
A pair of Tar Heel women’s basketball standouts earned All-ACC honors on Tuesday, as Janelle Bailey was named an All-ACC honorable mention and Deja Kelly received a spot on the All-Freshman team. Bailey–a senior from Charlotte–has now received All-ACC recognition in each of her four years at UNC. She was the ACC Freshman of the […]
Deja Kelly Earns Second Consecutive ACC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week Honor
UNC point guard Deja Kelly was named the ACC Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Week on Monday for the second consecutive week. Kelly scored exactly 22 points in both of the Tar Heels’ wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, shooting 51 percent from the floor and going 5-for-9 from three-point range across those two […]
›