In a stunning upset Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena, the South Alabama Jaguars defeated the UNC women’s basketball team by a slim margin of 85-84.
The Jaguars received 23 points from Chyna Ellis and 22 from Savannah Jones off the bench, while shooting over 50 percent as a team.
Ellis’ lay-up with five seconds remaining proved to be the difference in what was a thrilling finish.
After being on the wrong end of another upset to Hampton in their season opener, a common theme has developed in each of the Tar Heels’ losses–struggling to defend the three-point shot.
Although guard Paris Kea–the ACC’s leading scorer–scored 31 points for UNC (2-2), South Alabama (2-1) connected on a whopping 13 of its 27 three-point attempts.
Freshman standout Janelle Bailey supplemented Kea’s scoring with 17 points, but fouled out with just over four minutes left in the game.
With UNC ahead by six points in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars responded with a pair of threes to tie the game at 79-79.
The Tar Heels went back ahead on a three-pointer from Taylor Koenen and then answered a bucket on the other end with a put-back from Emily Sullivan.
South Alabama reeled off the final four points of the afternoon, however, capping the upset with Ellis’ clutch lay-up as time ran down.
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will remain in Chapel Hill to take on UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Admission will be free to all fans.
Photo via Jeffrey A. Camarati (UNC Athletics)
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