Regular Season Closes Sunday At Duke

Sunday, February 25

Durham, N.C.

2:00 p.m.

North Carolina

Duke

February 24, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Watch on ACC Network Extra Live Stats Game Notes

By: Mark Kimmel

CHAPEL HILL - Carolina faces No. 20 Duke on Sunday in the final game of the regular season at 2 p.m. A win would give the Tar Heels a sweep of the Blue Devils for the first time since 2014.

GAME INFORMATION
North Carolina (14-14, 4-11) at Duke (21-7, 10-5)
Durham, N.C.
Cameron Indoor Stadium
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018
Tip: 2 p.m.

WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can watch the game on ACC Network Extra and the ESPN app.

TUNE IN
The radio broadcast with Walter Storholt is available locally in the Triangle on WCHL 97.9 FM and worldwide on GoHeels.com, and also on the TuneIn app.

SERIES HISTORY
Carolina leads 50-44 in the all-time series with the Blue Devils. It's been tough sledding of late for the Tar Heels in Durham, having won only once (2014) in the last nine trips to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse set a program and ACC women's basketball record with 20 three-pointers to notch a come-from-behind, 86-80 victory over North Carolina on Thursday night. Senior Jamie Cherry was honored in a pre-game ceremony in her finale at Carmichael Arena. She scored 23 points, freshman Janelle Bailey had another monster game with 25 points and 12 rebounds and Paris Kea had 12.

Gabrielle Cooper scored a game-high 28 points to pace Syracuse (21-7, 9-6). Miranda Drummond had 24 points and Tiana Mangakahia added to her NCAA-leading assist total with 14 to go along with 12 points.

LAST MEETING WITH DUKE
Paris Kea picked a perfect time to score a career-high 36 points on Sunday afternoon against No. 15 Duke. Her last second three-pointer sent the game to overtime and North Carolina overcame a 19-point deficit to grab a thrilling 92-86 victory over the Blue Devils.

Freshman Leah Church scored a season-high 19 points and Jamie Cherry dished out a career-best 13 assists to go with 22 points. Haley Gorecki paced Duke with a career-high 29 points.

WALKER, WATTS OUT FOR THE SEASON
Destinee Walker and Stephanie Watts are officially ruled out for the 2017-18 women's basketball season. Both players suffered knee injuries late in the 2016-17 season and will return with two years of eligibility remaining with the Tar Heels.

"We can't wait to have these two outstanding young ladies back on the court next season. It's been tough for all of us to see them on the sidelines," said North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell. "They've worked closely with our medical and strength and conditioning staffs in rehabbing knee injures that occurred last season. As a program, we've exercised extreme caution during the rehab process with the anticipation that they'll be back to full health for next season."

Watts, a preseason All-ACC selection leading into the 2017-18 campaign, ranks 10th in program history as a 15.7 points per game scorer and sits ninth all-time with 7.5 rebounds per game. The 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year was named second team All-ACC after averaging 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in her rookie season.

Walker, from Orlando, Florida, is a solid two-way player that has twice been named the program's defensive player of the year and is a prolific scorer in her own right, owning a 13.3 point per game average in two seasons in Chapel Hill. She was named to the 2016 ACC All-Freshman Team after a fine rookie season that saw her put up 13.9 ppg.

FAST BREAK POINTS
• Jamie Cherry is one of only seven UNC players to accumulate career totals of over 1,500 points and 400 assists. Cherry is also fifth all-time with 445 career free throws made, and has played in all 126 games in her four-year career, making 93 starts.
• Paris Kea is now Carolina's second all-time scoring average leader at 18.2 points per game.
• Kea became just the fourth UNC player to score 1,000 points in the first two seasons with the program, joining an exclusive group that includes Ivory Latta, Marion Jones and Allisha Gray.
• Cherry is shooting 89.3 percent (75-of-84) from the free throw line in conference games, the top figure in the ACC.
• Janelle Bailey has a league-leading six ACC Rookie of the Week honors this season. She leads all league freshman in scoring, rebounding and double-doubles.
• UNC has the top-3 ACC leaders in minutes per game - Jamie Cherry (37.9), Paris Kea (37.4) and Taylor Koenen with 35.7 mpg.
• Carolina is 2nd in the ACC in free throw shooting (74.7%). The Tar Heels are even better in conference play ranking first at 77.4%.
• The school record for free throw shooting was set in 2005-06 at 72.4%

NEXT UP
The ACC Tournament takes place next Wednesday through Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Matchups will be announced on Sunday night.