Carolina Battles Back but Falls To No. 5 Louisville

Sunday, January 19

Chapel Hill, N.C.

1 PM

North Carolina

13-5,4-3ACC

Louisville

18-1,7-0ACC

Louisville

North Carolina

Madinah Muhammad scored 17 points for the Tar Heels against Louisville.

Photo by: Dana Gentry

January 19, 2020 | Women's Basketball

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By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina battled back with a 14-1 scoring run in the fourth quarter, but couldn't quite pull ahead and eventually fell 74-67 to fifth-ranked Louisville in an Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball battle on Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena. Senior guards Taylor Koenen and Madinah Muhammad scored 17 points each and junior center Janelle Bailey added 16 for the Tar Heels, who fell to 13-5 on the season and 4-3 in ACC play. The Cardinals improved to 18-1 overall, 7-0 ACC, behind a game-high 22 points from junior guard Dana Evans.

"What a bummer," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said, speaking in the media room shortly after the game. "I just told the team in the locker room I'm disappointed for them and with them. We just didn't play well enough to beat a good team. The first half we just totally were unglued defensively – that wasn't the team you're used to seeing. Offensively, we were really rattled.

"In the second half we executed well on both ends. I have a group of fighters. The next step from this group is to come out from the start and use their toughness as an advantage, not as a savior. Bummer, because I thought that was a game we could win. We have a tough Georgia Tech game up next."

The Tar Heels play the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta on Thursday evening then travel to NC State on Sunday. Their next home game is on Jan. 30 against Virginia.

We fought til the end. Back at it again on Thursday. Highlights from today's game: ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/AZEhsZz6Mm — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 19, 2020

Playing before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 4,000, the largest of the season, the Tar Heels never led and they trailed by 20 with 1:15 to play in the second quarter. Carolina's halftime deficit of 16 was the largest of the season and came against the highest-ranked team UNC has faced thus far.

The Tar Heels average 11.4 turnovers per game and lead the ACC in assist/turnover ratio, but gave the ball away 12 times in the first half alone. On the bright side, they finished the game with 14 turnovers, taking much better care of the basketball in the second half.

In the third quarter, UNC managed to keep mostly even despite shooting 33.3 percent, scoring 16 points to Louisville's 17 to start the fourth quarter down 17, 62-45. The Cardinals scored the first point, but UNC then went on a 6-0 run on a bucket by Bailey, two free throws by Koenen and two more by Bailey to pull within 12. Both Bailey and Koenen were 4-for-4 from the free throw line as the team shot 81.3 percent (13-16).

Louisville again made the margin 14 at 67-53 before Carolina stormed back with its late run. Muhammad drove for a lay-up to make the margin 12. After the Cardinals missed on the other end and Bailey rebounded the ball, Koenen drove the lane and then passed to junior Leah Church in the left corner. Church buried her only three-point attempt of the day to make it a single-digit margin, 67-58. Muhammad got a steal and took it in for a layup to make the margin seven. After Louisville scored and freshman Kennady Tucker answered to make it seven points again, Koenen hit her only three-pointer of the game to cut the margin to four, 71-67. Louisville went three-for-four from the foul line in the final 22 seconds for the final score.

"We were all thinking the same thing: we've got to cut the lead, we've got to cut the lead, we've got to keep fighting," said Koenen, the team captain, of the Tar Heels' mindset down the stretch. "We knew the game wasn't over. We knew we could fight until the end."