Carolina Dominates Wake Forest, 84-61

Thursday, January 17

Chapel Hill, N.C.

7:00 PM

North Carolina

10-8, 1-3ACC

Wake Forest

9-8, 0-4ACC

Wake Forest

North Carolina

January 17, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats Photo Gallery

By: Mark Kimmel

CHAPEL HILL - Taylor Koenen matched her career high with 21 points and North Carolina won in convincing fashion, 84-61, over Wake Forest in Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball action Thursday night.

Koenen made 8-of-9 shots and all four of her three-point attempts to guide the Tar Heels to their first ACC victory of the season, improving to 1-3 in the ACC and 10-8 overall. All five starters scored in double figures with Stephanie Watts adding 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Paris Kea tossed in 12 points and both Janelle Bailey and Jocelyn Jones had 10.

Elisa Penna had a game-high 24 points to pace Wake Forest (9-8, 0-4). Gina Conti added a dozen for the Demon Deacons, who sit alongside Duke, Pitt and Virginia Tech as the only winless teams in the conference.

Before the crowd had completely filed into their seats, Wake Forest needed a timeout after Jones made it 6-0 Tar Heels. Koenen, who also registered 21 points last Sunday at Syracuse, drilled a corner three-ball to increase the lead to 12-2. Shayla Bennett (nine points) added a pair of triples later in the first quarter and Carolina led 24-10 after 10 minutes.

UNC scored 16 of the first 18 points of the second period to race out to a 40-12 lead. The onslaught continued with Carolina outscoring Wake 32-8 in the quarter and led 56-18 at intermission.

The Tar Heels converted 15 turnovers into 22 points in the first half, and shot 53.7 percent from the field to garner their largest halftime lead of the season.

Wake Forest got within 18, 74-56, in the fourth quarter but the outcome was never in doubt as UNC recorded its largest margin of victory in the league since an 83-45 win over the Demon Deacons on Feb. 19, 2015.

Carolina matched its season high with 12 three-pointers. Koenen (four) and Jones (two) set career highs in made 3-pointers.

UNC is on the road for its next two games beginning with a trip to South Florida to take on Miami this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The Hurricanes earned a 58-50 road win at Duke on Thursday and are 3-1 versus the ACC.