University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Syracuse
No. 13 North Carolina Falls 61-56 at Syracuse
February 6, 2015 | Women's Basketball
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - No. 13 North Carolina dropped a 61-56 decision at 25th-ranked Syracuse on Thursday evening from the Carrier Dome.
North Carolina (18-5, 5-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) got 14 points and 13 rebounds from Stephanie Mavunga, her team-leading ninth double-double of the season. Allisha Gray added 12 points and Jessica Washington tossed in 10 off the bench.
Alexis Peterson paced Syracuse (16-7, 6-4) with a game-high 20 points. Taylor Ford had 12 points in a reserve role.
Syracuse led 31-19 in the opening seconds of the second half, but a 16-7 run by the Tar Heels - capped by a Jamie Cherry three-pointer - got UNC within 38-35.
Still a one-possession game, Latifah Coleman drained a wide-open three-pointer to get UNC within 49-47. Washington promptly followed with another triple to give UNC a 50-49 lead with five minutes left, its first advantage since it was 15-13 with 7:40 left in the opening half.
The Orange responded with the next eight points, including three from distance by Ford, that put the home team up 57-50 with 2:02 left.
Solid free throw shooting in the final minute pushed UNC within 59-56 and gave the Tar Heels a chance to tie the game late, but Washington missed a deep three-point attempt and the Orange held on for its first victory over a ranked team this season.
Carolina held a slim 47-46 rebound advantage, and Mavunga had four of UNC's nine blocks.
After Gray, Carolina's leading-scorer, picked up two quick fouls, consecutive jumpers from N'Dea Bryant and a three-pointer from Washington put UNC up 11-6 early in the first half against the Orange.
The Tar Heels went over four minutes between field goals - both coming from Gray - that allowed Syracuse to take a 24-17 lead after a three-pointer from Alexis Peterson.
Mavunga later knocked down two from the free throw line, but the Orange scored the last five points of the half to lead 29-19 at intermission.
North Carolina visits Virginia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m. on Regional Sports Network and ESPN3/WatchESPN.
