No high-stakes rivalry game is complete without an emotional competition and dramatic finish. And in front of a sold-out crowd in Carmichael Arena, No. 12 UNC fell to No. 15 Duke 74-67 in an overtime match Sunday evening. With the win, Duke now has a 14-6 overall record and is 5-2 in the ACC. The Tar Heels have fallen to 4-3 in conference play and hold a 17-4 record overall.

Before tonight’s contest, North Carolina and Duke were tied with Syracuse at fifth in ACC Standings with 4-2 records. But the Blue Devils were able to snap a five-road game losing streak and claim their first ACC away victory on one of its most hostile courts.

“It was a scrappy game, a very good defensive game without question,” Duke Head Coach Joanne “P” McCallie said. “Just a lot of heart and hustle on the floor, I think you saw a lot of dives, a lot of loose balls, and I think it was a heart game, very much a heart game.”

North Carolina was outrebounded from the beginning. 6’3” sophomore forward Stephanie Mavunga was wildly undersized compared to Duke’s roster, which has five players who are taller than her.

UNC had a big boost in scoring from senior Latifah Coleman. Coleman finished with 14 points and hit a three-pointer in the first half that gave the Tar Heels its biggest jump over Duke with twelve points.

But in a game of runs, the Blue Devils leaned on its inside game.

The only word to describe Duke’s Elizabeth Williams: dominant. Williams’ 33 points were not only her career high, they were also the most points scored by a Duke player against North Carolina ever, and they contributed greatly to the Blue Devils’ 46 points scored in the paint.

“She’s a tough player, she knows how to use her body really well,” Mavunga said of Williams’ presence in the post. “She’s been playing the game for a lot of years, she’s a senior and she’s been playing college ball for a long time so I think that she outsmarts me in some ways sometimes. It’s just hard to play against her sometimes but at the same time I could have played better defense on her.”

Williams was too much to handle on both ends of the floor. In the last seconds of regulation, she blocked Coleman’s lay-up that would have given UNC a two-point win after being tied at 62.

In overtime, Duke won the tip and ran away with the game. Carolina trailed by as many as seven points, as last minute three-point attempts by Allisha Gray and drives inside failed to score for UNC. Shots also fell from outside for the Blue Devils, as guards Rebecca Greenwell and Ka’lia Johnson had phenomenal games. Greenwell finished with 14 points and rebounds, Johnson contributed 12 points and 13 rebounds.

As two of the leading scorers in the last time UNC and Duke met in the ACC tournament, Gray and Mavunga were also on top of scoring today – finishing with 20 and 15, respectively. Latifah Coleman’s first half showdown put up 13 of her 14 points.

Just as in every hard-fought game lost, Coach Hatchell was questioned on the team’s ability to remain a top contender throughout the remainder of the season. But Coach assured that the Tar Heels will remain poised and confident.

“Just because we lose a game in overtime doesn’t mean that we’re falling apart or that we’re not one of the top teams in the country,” Hatchell said. “But in this league, gosh, come Monday we’re probably going to have six teams in the ACC ranked in the top 25. Playing in this league is like being in the Final Four – I mean, really.”

Next up for the Tar Heels is another home game against Boston College, the last team to beat Duke, on Superbowl Sunday at 2 p.m.

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