The University of North Carolina women’s basketball team was not engaged in a blowout on Sunday like the men’s team, but instead played to a tight 78-73 win against Elon University.

On the Tar Heels’ side, redshirt sophomore Paris Kea led the team with 20 points. She rounded out her performance with six rebounds and five assists in what was a complete game for the guard.

Usual points leader, sophomore guard Stephanie Watts, supplemented Kea’s showing with 17 points and three assists of her own. Junior guard Jamie Cherry also added 17 points.

Elon was offensively led by Essence Baucom and Ra’Shika White’s 17 points.

UNC shot a season high 51 percent from the field in the head to head game that featured five ties and 15 lead changes.

The game was close from the start, with the Phoenix matching UNC’s 21 points in the first period. Overall, North Carolina got a slight boost from the team’s six three-pointers in the first half, giving them a 42-38 advantage at intermission.

Returning from halftime, the largest lead of the game came in the form of an eight-point advantage for UNC that came with about seven minutes left in the third period.

The Tar Heels dwindled that lead, as they were outscored by the Phoenix in the third period, entering the fourth period with the game on the line, with a 60-59 lead.

With only 1:55 remaining in the game, UNC was holding onto a 73-71 lead, but a Cherry jumper pushed the team’s lead to four, while a following free throw from redshirt sophomore Hillary Fuller put the team up by five.

Elon never got past North Carolina’s five-point lead, giving the Tar Heels their seventh win of the season.

Next for North Carolina is a home game on Wednesday in Chapel Hill at 5:30 p.m. against Marshall.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Related Stories
‹
UNC women's basketball finds new sources of production in win over Marshall
The University of North Carolina women’s basketball team played their last game before final exams, on Wednesday night – a 75-53 win over Marshall University. A different dynamic duo took over the game, as junior guard Jamie Cherry and sophomore guard Destinee Walker offensively led the team. Cherry scored a game-high 19 points, while Walker […]
Stephanie Watts' ninth double-double not enough in UNC's loss to Duke
Duke got the best of the University of North Carolina women’s basketball team on Thursday night, as the Tar Heels fell to the No. 13 Blue Devils in Durham with a 70-58 loss. On the UNC side, redshirt sophomore Paris Kea led the team with 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Stephanie Watts closely followed […]
UNC Women's Basketball Splits Crescom Bank Holiday Invitational
At the conclusion of UNC’s participation in the Crescom Bank Holiday Invitational on Tuesday night, the women’s basketball team had picked up a win and a loss against two non-conference opponents. On Sunday afternoon, the team suffered its worst loss of the season after losing 43-70 to LSU. It was North Carolina’s second loss on […]
UNC loses final regular season game to Duke
On Sunday afternoon head coach Sylvia Hatchell did not get the birthday present she had hoped for, but instead her team was served a 93-57 blowout loss to Duke University in Carmichael Arena. Freshman Stephanie Watts led North Carolina with 18 points in UNC’s final game of the regular season. In addition, freshman Destinee Walker […]
Former UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell Cited in Death of Elderly Woman
Former UNC women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell has been cited with a misdemeanor in her involvement with a pedestrian collision in Durham on Monday. Durham Police cited Hatchell, who coached at UNC from 1986 to 2019, with a misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement violation, according to a news release by the department. Authorities said the […]
UNC Women's BBall Begins Practice, Banghart Settles In to New School
It’s the first season in many years where the UNC women’s basketball team is being led by a different head coach. As the players adjust to new leadership, head coach Courtney Banghart is settling into her new position and school too. Banghart led the team’s first official practice with lots of energy and passionate instruction […]
Sylvia Hatchell Resigns As UNC Women's Basketball Coach Following Investigation
Sylvia Hatchell has resigned as UNC’s women’s basketball head coach, athletic director Bubba Cunningham announced Thursday evening. Hatchell’s resignation comes after the entire women’s basketball coaching staff was placed on paid leave earlier this month amid a review of the program. The review, which was conducted by Charlotte-based firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, included […]
UNC Women's Basketball Staff Placed on Paid Leave Amid Review of Program
UNC has announced that it has placed Sylvia Hatchell and the women’s basketball coaching staff on paid administrative leave while a review of program takes place. In a statement, the university said that the Charlotte-based firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein will conduct a “review and assess the culture of the women’s basketball program and […]
Paris Kea: 'The Crowd Was Absolutely Amazing, Carmichael Was Literally Shaking'
With a win over No. 1 Notre Dame, UNC women’s basketball snapped a 198 game losing streak for unranked opponents against the top team in the country. It was also a special day for head coach Sylvia Hatchell, who announced to her team before the game that she was going to be a grandmother. “So […]
Victory Over No. 1 Notre Dame Lends Credibility to Sylvia Hatchell's Message for UNC
UNC women’s basketball earned a program-defining victory over the weekend when the Tar Heels defeated No. 1 Notre Dame in Chapel Hill. Led by 30 points from star guard Paris Kea, who was named ESPNW’s National Player of the Week, Carolina stretched its lead to double-digits before Notre Dame tied it up late in the […]
›