Tar Heels Fall To Duke, 85-69

Thursday, February 7

Chapel Hill, N.C.

7:00 PM

North Carolina

14-10, 5-5ACC

Duke

11-11, 3-7ACC

Duke

North Carolina

February 7, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CHAPEL HILL --- Janelle Bailey had team highs of 23 points and eight rebounds but North Carolina had its four-game winning streak snapped in an 85-69 loss to rival Duke Thursday night at Carmichael Arena. Haley Gorecki scored a game-high 28 points for the Blue Devils, who outscored the Tar Heels 22-7 in a decisive second quarter on a night UNC played without star guard Paris Kea (illness).

Carolina (14-10, 5-5 ACC) played its best basketball of the night in the opening stanza, rallying from an early 12-6 deficit to take a 24-18 lead after 10 minutes on Leah Church's last-second 3.

UNC led 29-22 on a Taylor Koenen 3-point play early in the second before the Blue Devils (11-11, 3-7 ACC) went on an 18-2 run to close the half. Duke made 8 of 10 field goals in the period, with Gorecki and Leaonna Odom leading the offensive attack.

The Tar Heels got within five on a Bailey jumper midway through the third quarter, but would get no closer, and a Miela Goodchild triple with under two minutes to go effectively put the game out of reach.

Koenen (12 points) and Stephanie Watts (11) joined Bailey in double figures, but the absence of Kea and a 42-30 Duke advantage on the boards proved to be too much for Carolina to overcome.

UNC returns to action Sunday at 2 p.m. against Clemson.