No. 8 UNC women's basketball falls, 68-53, to No. 16 Duke in first road loss

DURHAM — In its final true road game of the season, the No. 8 North Carolina women’s basketball team (25-5, 13-4 ACC) fell to No. 16 Duke (22-7, 13-4 ACC), 68-53, in Cameron Indoor Arena on Thursday evening. The Tar Heels split their meetings with the Blue Devils this season. 

Without starters Alyssa Ustby and Reniya Kelly, UNC elected to start graduate guard Grace Townsend and first-year guard Lanie Grant. North Carolina faced difficulty in all areas to open the game until they brought the fight on the glass and began to jive on offense going into halftime. In the second half, however, it was all Duke, as UNC failed to find an open shot or take care of the ball. 

“There’s a rhythm to your offense,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “And so then when you take someone who sort of runs the tempo of the team and you have her on the sideline, that rhythm is already a bit disrupted.”

Grant and Townsend — the two additions to the starting lineup — combined for 12 points in the opening quarter. Duke, on the other hand, was paced by first-year Toby Fournier who already matched her average on the season in the first quarter with 13 points. 

“I feel like I’ve heard it about 30 times in the past 72 hours, just to attack, be aggressive, take space,” Grant said. “[Banghart] pours so much confidence into me, so it was just finding the flow within the offense.”

The Blue Devils doubled up North Carolina in rebounds in the first frame and dominated the paint while UNC struggled to find the basket. Duke headed into the second quarter leading 24-17

Duke continued to make things difficult on the offensive end by jumping Tar Heel passes and in-bounds plays. North Carolina committed three consecutive caused turnovers within the first four minutes of the second quarter. 

UNC finally started to find its footing in the final few minutes before the half. The Tar Heels held the Blue Devils scoreless through the last four minutes while North Carolina held onto a 6-0 run. 

With junior guard Indya Nivar’s fastbreak layup with 2:24 to go, North Carolina regained the lead, 32-31, which was the last basket before halftime. UNC outscored Duke in the frame, 15-7. 

North Carolina needed a timeout before three minutes had passed into the second half after not recording a field goal and turning the ball over three times. Reigan Richardson went 3-3 in these opening minutes, scoring all of Duke’s first eight points.

UNC finally converted from the field more than five minutes in thanks to senior center Maria Gakdeng, which ignited a 7-0 run that tied the game at 41-41. 

But the tide turned again.

The Blue Devils completed an 11-0 run of their own as UNC hit another stretch without a basket for nearly four minutes. The Duke offensive display was capitalized by a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded — Duke’s fifth in the frame — signaling Duke’s 52-41 advantage and largest lead going into the final 10 minutes.

As North Carolina tried to claw back from the deficit, Duke always had an answer. The Blue Devils took a 61-47 lead with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game. As Duke continued its tear on the offensive glass, UNC couldn’t find an open shot or hold onto the ball, committing 20 turnovers on the night. 

Duke took the victory, 68-53, ending North Carolina’s 9-0 road winning streak. 

“Obviously, we were pretty undermanned and short-handed as we try to get to our best for the playoffs coming up,” Banghart said.

The Tar Heels will round out the season with Virginia on March 2 at 2 p.m. in Carmichael Arena. 

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