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

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