Friday, November 23
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
3:00 P.M.
North Carolina
5-1
71
vs
69
USF
4-2
1
2
3
4
F
USF
20
11
20
18
69
North Carolina
16
19
23
13
71
Carolina Tops #17 USF, 71-69
November 23, 2018 | Women's Basketball
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - Stephanie Watts scored 24 points to lead North Carolina to a 71-69 victory over No. 17 USF on Friday from the Paradise Jam at the University of the Virgin Islands.
North Carolina (5-1) will face unbeaten Kentucky (6-0) in the championship game of the Island Division on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The Wildcats outlasted UCLA, 75-74, in overtime on Friday. The Tar Heels beat the Bruins, 83-49, on Thursday.
Watts put on a show in the first half to pin the Tar Heels to a 35-31 lead at halftime. The Wesley Chapel, N.C., native scored the first five points of the game, but two quick fouls forced her to sit for most of the first quarter.
Watts re-entered the game in the second period and promptly scored 12 of Carolina's 19 points in the frame to give her 18 at intermission, a new season high for the junior sharpshooter. Watts knocked down four three pointers and was 6-of-8 from the field in the opening half.
Carolina converted 10 of its first 11 shots in the third quarter to grab a 58-50 lead. Janelle Bailey's talents were on display with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. The next trip down, she drove hard to her right for two more points. The reigning ACC Freshman of the Year finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
A jumper from Shayla Bennett had Carolina up 67-55 with five minutes, 36 seconds left in regulation. The Bulls didn'tt quit and made it a nail-biter in the final moments with a three-pointer from Elisa Pinzan that cut the Tar Heel lead to 71-68 with nine seconds on the clock.
Paris Kea offered up 14 points for Carolina, while Laura Ferreira of USF (4-2) led all scorers with 22.
The win was the first over a ranked team for UNC since an 83-70 victory over No. 18 NC State on Jan. 29, 2017.
North Carolina (5-1) will face unbeaten Kentucky (6-0) in the championship game of the Island Division on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The Wildcats outlasted UCLA, 75-74, in overtime on Friday. The Tar Heels beat the Bruins, 83-49, on Thursday.
Watts put on a show in the first half to pin the Tar Heels to a 35-31 lead at halftime. The Wesley Chapel, N.C., native scored the first five points of the game, but two quick fouls forced her to sit for most of the first quarter.
Watts re-entered the game in the second period and promptly scored 12 of Carolina's 19 points in the frame to give her 18 at intermission, a new season high for the junior sharpshooter. Watts knocked down four three pointers and was 6-of-8 from the field in the opening half.
Carolina converted 10 of its first 11 shots in the third quarter to grab a 58-50 lead. Janelle Bailey's talents were on display with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. The next trip down, she drove hard to her right for two more points. The reigning ACC Freshman of the Year finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
A jumper from Shayla Bennett had Carolina up 67-55 with five minutes, 36 seconds left in regulation. The Bulls didn'tt quit and made it a nail-biter in the final moments with a three-pointer from Elisa Pinzan that cut the Tar Heel lead to 71-68 with nine seconds on the clock.
Paris Kea offered up 14 points for Carolina, while Laura Ferreira of USF (4-2) led all scorers with 22.
The win was the first over a ranked team for UNC since an 83-70 victory over No. 18 NC State on Jan. 29, 2017.
Team Stats
USF
NC
FG%
.491
.500
3FG%
.389
.381
FT%
.750
.846
RB
29
29
TO
17
20
STL
2
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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