LOS ANGELES – 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.

Gray becomes the first Carolina freshman to score 30 points in a game since Ivory Latta in 2003-04. She also hauled in 10 rebounds for her second-straight double-double after a 15-point, 10-rebound performance Monday against Tennessee.

Classmate Jessica Washington played the best game of her young career by offering up 16 points and five assists. Gray and Washington combined for 46 of the Tar Heels’ 49 bench points.

“I thought the players off the bench did a very good job for us tonight,” said Associate Head CoachAndrew Calder. “Very proud of how they performed with the foul trouble are starters had tonight. Proud of how our team battled tonight.

“I thought we did a much better job today of communicating than we had during the exhibition games and also the Air Force and Tennessee games.”

Foul trouble plagued Carolina all game long. Four starters – Diamond DeShields, Stephanie Mavunga, Xylina McDaniel and Brittany Rountree – picked up two fouls by the 8:34 mark of the first half.

But that didn’t bother Washington as she scored five quick points to stake Carolina to a 17-8 lead early in the first half.

UCLA rallied to tie the game at 19-all after a free throw from Lauren Holiday at the 5:49 mark

Despite the mounting foul count, a 13-2 run after the free throw from Holiday gave UNC a 32-21 advantage. Gray scored seven points to fuel the run.

Carolina led 34-30 at intermission, but UCLA wasted little time in knotting the game at 36-all early in the second half.

Tonight, however, belonged to Gray. She put Carolina back in front, 39-36, with a three-pointer that ignited a 26-7 run that saw the lead grow to 19, 62-43, with 7:45 to go.

“My main focus is to do whatever I can to help this team,” said Gray. “If coming off the bench is going to help my team than I’m fine with that.”

Carolina had a brief hiccup late in the game by going scoreless for over three minutes, allowing UCLA  back in the game briefly with a 12-0 run.

UCLA got to within 66-59, but right on cue, Gray delivered her sixth triple of the night to send momentum back in favor of the Tar Heels.

The Bruins never got closer than seven points as Carolina was 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final 27 seconds.

Thea Lemberger led UCLA with 19 points, while Atonye Nyingifa had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

North Carolina hosts Coastal Carolina on Thursday at 7 p.m., on GoHeelsTV.

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. […]
Allisha Gray Leads Heels To Victory Over UCLA
Thirteenth-ranked North Carolina women’s basketball remains undefeated after beating the No. 23 UCLA Bruins Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena.
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 […]
›