UNC women's basketball falls to Duke, 71-61, after poor-shooting third quarter

The North Carolina women’s basketball team (16-7, 7-5 ACC) lost a closely fought game, 71-61, at Duke (12-10, 6-5 ACC) for its sixth loss in a row at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

What happened?

The start of the first quarter was a back-and-forth exchange of leads. There were multiple early lead changes going into the first media timeout, and North Carolina struggled to find its rhythm as Duke applied full court pressure. 

The two teams combined to shoot 14-for-32 in what was a sluggish first period for both sides. 

Despite their offensive struggles, the Tar Heels were able to come out of the opening quarter down by only two, 18-16. 

The second quarter saw much of the same back-and-forth as the first, but with an improved offensive production from both teams. North Carolina tied the game at 21, 28 and 32, but were never able to take a substantial lead in a second quarter that was always tight. 

North Carolina’s scoring was evenly distributed in the first half of action, with five Tar Heels finding the scoring column. First-year forward Malu Tshitenge finished the first half shooting 80 percent from the field for a team leading nine points. 

Despite keeping it close and finding a more efficient offense, North Carolina went into the half down 34-32.

The Blue Devils came out of the locker room hot, firing off a quick 12-point run to take a commanding double-digit lead into the third quarter media time out. 

Duke’s domination would continue throughout the remainder of the third quarter, holding North Carolina to just 12 points on 3-for-24 shooting from the field. Despite a big early quarter run for the Blue Devils, the Tar Heels were able to keep the game close, in large part due to contributions from Tshitenge, who stopped the bleeding after multiple long Duke runs. 

North Carolina would go into the final quarter down 54-44, after being outscored 20-12 in the least competitive quarter of the game.

Relying largely on three-pointers, the Tar Heels shooting woes continued to start the final quarter. Despite continued struggle, North Carolina was able to claw itself back into the game, shrinking its deficit to six with four minutes remaining. 

After a break away lay-up for the Blue Devils, the game was sealed. With the fourth quarter never getting closer than six points, the Tar Heels went on to lose 71-61

Who stood out?

Senior guard Shayla Bennett finished with a team high 19 points and three assists, putting together an impressive performance in an otherwise difficult night for the North Carolina offense. Her defensive prowess was also noteworthy, as she finished with five steals and was an aggressive force on both ends of the court

When was it decided?

After Duke’s third quarter run, the Tar Heels were placed in a deficit they would never recover from. Despite improved shooting in the final period of play, the double-digit discrepancy going into the quarter for North Carolina placed them in a difficult spot offensively, causing weak shot-selection as the final minutes approached.  

Why does it matter?

A win in Cameron would have been North Carolina’s first since 2014. Coming in with a better overall and conference record than the Blue Devils, a win was possible. 

Despite the loss, the Tar Heels are still in the upper quarter of the ACC standings and will have a chance to find themselves in a good position as the final six games of the regular season and a home rematch against Duke approach. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will be back in Carmichael Arena on Sunday to face Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. 

@zachycrain

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com