University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Southern Miss
Carolina Tops Southern Miss In Myrtle Beach
December 20, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Destinee Walker also chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds for North Carolina (8-5), who have won three of its last four games heading into the holiday break.
On her way to 17 points, Watts knocked down five 3-pointers, while Cherry was 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Xylina McDaniel grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Watts closed the third quarter with her fifth and final three-pointer of the game. Walker opened the fourth with a conventional 3-point play to put Carolina up 52-46 over the Lady Eagles.
Southern Miss (6-4) later tied the game at 60-60 with just over a minute to play, but UNC closed the game on a 9-2 run to post the win. Cherry was a perfect 6-of-6 from the line in the final 22 seconds.
Carolina overcame 25 turnovers by dominating the glass to the tune of a 46-32 rebound advantage. UNC scored 18 second-chance points.
Both teams opened up shooting the ball well from distance in the first quarter. Watts made three from beyond the arc, while Brittanny Dinkins (17 points) had three of the Lady Eagles' four three-pointers to give her club a 22-15 lead after 10 minutes of play.
After building a 26-18 lead midway through the second stanza, Southern Miss made only two of its last 13 shots in the quarter, allowing the Heels to take a 32-30 lead into halftime. Hillary Summers fueled an 11-2 run by with three key buckets for Carolina. Cherry later tied the game with a layup on the fast break and Watts' two free throws gave UNC its first lead since it was 8-6 in the first quarter.
Jerontay Clemons had a game-high 18 points for the Lady Eagles.
Carolina hosts New Hampshire on Dec. 29 at 2 p.m. inside Carmichael Arena.
