Carolina earned a gutty 53-46 overtime win against No. 14 Duke at Carmichael Arena on Thursday night. It’s UNC’s fourth consecutive win against the Blue Devils in Chapel Hill.
DOWN GOES DUKE!!!#InPursuit x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/aQQktYRh9d
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 10, 2025
“This one is just a rivalry win that we’ll take,” said a sheepish Courtney Banghart afterward. “We can all share that we’ve been a part of something that doesn’t usually happen, which is whatever happened here.”
An offensively-challenged first 20 minutes saw the Tar Heels trailing 8-6 after the first quarter and the two teams tied 16-16 at halftime. UNC and Duke combined to shot 12-55 from the floor, with more turnovers (21) than made shots.
In the second half, Carolina roared out of the locker room with 16 unanswered points to begin the third quarter. The 32-16 advantage was, naturally, UNC’s largest of the night. But Duke punched back with 10 straight points to end the quarter, tightening the margin to 32-26. In the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels saw their lead finally dissipate on a pair of Duke free throws with 42 seconds remaining to tie the game at 40-40. The Blue Devils had a chance to win the game on their final possession, but a mid-range jumper rimmed out in the waning seconds.
“We got tentative again, and I don’t know why,” Banghart said. “I don’t know yet if I’m gonna try to unpack it or just let it go.”
Duke took a 43-40 lead to begin overtime, but Carolina fought back to tie the game at 43-43 with two minutes to go. Lexi Donarski struck the decisive blow with 1:15 to go, making her first three of the game (and only UNC’s second) to beat the shot clock to give the Tar Heels a 46-43 lead.
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s three whole points going on the scoreboard at one time!'” Banghart quipped. “The whole crowd was like, ‘Hallelujah.'”
That advantage would hold for the final minute of the extra session, as Duke failed to make another basket. Donarski’s three was UNC’s only made shot of overtime.
Alyssa Ustby led the way with 10 points and 12 rebounds. No other Tar Heel reached double figures in the low-scoring affair. UNC shot just 17-53 (32.1 percent) overall, but Duke was even worse at 16-68 (23.5 percent). The teams turned the ball over 46 times, with UNC’s 26 giveaways (11 from Ustby herself) setting a dubious season high. The previous high was 18.
Freshman center Blanca Thomas was a bright spot, playing a season-high 23 minutes in relief of Maria Gakdeng, who fouled out late in regulation. Thomas finished with seven points (three in overtime) and eight rebounds.
“Growing up a North Carolina kid, I’ve always know how important this game is,” Thomas said. “For how hard I’ve been working, it was a well-deserved win.”
With the win, Carolina improves to 14-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will be back in action when they host Boston College on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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