Jessica Washington steps up in win against Georgia Tech

In the five games since the injury of All-American forward Xylina McDaniel, the North Carolina women’s basketball team has questioned who would assume the load as its third-leading scorer.

Jessica Washington is ready to be the answer.

The sophomore guard tied her career-high with 16 points — a mark she had matched just 12 days prior — and finished second in scoring for the No. 8 Tar Heels, whose high-octane attack propelled them to a 96-81 home victory over Georgia Tech (12-6, 2-2 ACC).

Washington came out of the gate aggressively, draining an open 3-pointer on her first possession and shooting on each of her first four touches. And by halftime, Washington led UNC (15-2, 2-1 ACC) with 9 points on 60 percent shooting.

Her 11.2 points per game over the last five contests — making her the team’s third-leading scorer in McDaniel’s absence — is just shy of McDaniel’s season scoring average of 11.3.

“She’s been playing a lot lately coming off the bench, but she’s been having some really good numbers,” said Coach Sylvia Hatchell, who played Washington for 22 minutes Sunday. “She’s in a good place right now mentally and finding her place on the team. 

"She’s really contributing, especially when we need it.”

Despite coming off the bench, Washington has averaged 20.6 minutes over the five-game stretch, even after logging just nine minutes before fouling out against Pittsburgh.

“Either way for me, coming off the bench or starting, I just know that I have to bring energy to the game for the team,” said Washington, who started 13 games during the 2013-14 season. “Coming off the bench, starting, it really doesn’t make a difference to me. I just want to make a difference in the game and help my team out.”

The combo guard’s versatile contributions have been crucial over the last five games. Washington has averaged 2.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and is tied for the team lead in 3-pointers with 1.8 per contest.

But her positional flexibility might be her greatest asset.

“She can play multiple positions, because she’s not that big, but she’ll go in there and rebound,” Hatchell said, praising Washington’s physical nature. “She’s an excellent shooter — just a tough kid, ball-handler and everything else.”

With her tenacious attitude and fearless shooting stroke, Washington presents a matchup challenge as the leader of the second-unit.

“I think she gives them a boost of energy when she comes in off the bench,” said Georgia Tech Coach MaChelle Joseph. “She has a lot of experience and a lot of confidence from those minutes she got as a freshman. She comes in off the bench now as a sophomore, there’s no pressure on her, and everything she does is extra.”

And her surplus contributions ended up tipping the scales for the Tar Heels.

“You can't let her become a factor and that's one of the things we talked about in the scouting report. Obviously we didn't take care of that,” Joseph said, after her team lost by 15. “I think that 16 points was the difference in the game.”

Just as Washington wanted.

sports@dailytarheel.com