UNC women’s basketball put up its worst offensive showing of the season in a 47-38 loss to No. 2 seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Friday afternoon in Birmingham, AL, ending Carolina’s tournament run.

The poor showing came after an extremely bright start for the Tar Heels, who led 11-0 midway through the first quarter. But Duke cut that deficit down to 13-9 by the end of the period and held UNC without a point for the first 7:19 of the second, by which time the Blue Devils had already taken the lead for good.

UNC got back to within two points at 34-32 late in the third quarter, but Reniya Kelly (playing just minutes from her hometown of Hoover, AL) missed a potential game-tying jumper on one end and Duke’s Ashlon Jackson knocked down a three-pointer on the other, a five-point swing which would keep momentum on Duke’s side for good. UNC wouldn’t get any closer than that for the rest of the game.

The Tar Heels’ attempts to rally in the fourth quarter fizzled, as UNC made just two shots in the final 10 minutes – one of which came in the final seconds with the outcome already decided. For the game, UNC shot 15-53 (28.3 percent) and turned the ball over 15 times. Duke was not much better, shooting 18-58 (31 percent), but the Blue Devils doubled the Tar Heels up in points off turnovers (14-7) and received huge contributions from their reserves; bench points were 26-6 in favor of Duke.

Alyssa Ustby struggled mightily in her final game as a Tar Heel, grabbing 10 rebounds but scoring just nine points. No UNC player reached double figures. Maria Gakdeng, also playing her final game, scored just two points while dealing with an apparent ankle injury suffered in the second quarter.

UNC ends the season 29-8 overall. Its 29 wins are its most in a season since 2013-14. The Tar Heels are still seeking their first appearance in the Elite 8 since 2008.

 

Featured image via AP Photo/Butch Dill.

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