Tar Heels Celebrate Seniors At Season's Final Home Game

Sunday, March 1

Chapel Hill, N.C.

2 PM

North Carolina

Duke

Senior guard Taylor Koenen led UNC in scoring in her final Carmichael Arena appearance.

Photo by: Dana Gentry

March 1, 2020 | Women's Basketball

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By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina women's basketball team ended it the regular season Sunday with a loss to Duke, falling 73-54 at Carmichael Arena in the final home game for seven Tar Heel seniors. Carolina celebrated those seniors – Shayla Bennett, Taylor Koenen, Madinah Muhammad, Liz Roberts, Olivia Smith, Emily Sullivan and Naomi Van Nes – in ceremonies following the game.

UNC is now 16-13 on the season and 7-11 in Atlantic Coast Conference play after losing its seventh game in a row. Next up for the Tar Heels is the ACC Tournament, which starts on Wednesday at the Greensboro Coliseum. The tournament bracket will be announced later on Sunday evening.

Koenen, the team captain, has played in every game since coming to UNC and she led the Tar Heels in scoring in her final appearance on the Carmichael court. She finished with 18 points, including two three-pointers that broke a personal 0-17 streak from long-range over the past four games. She also had eight rebounds and a team-high five assists in playing 37 minutes.

On Senior Day, the starting lineup's only freshman – forward Malu Tshitenge – was a standout, turning in a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. It was her second double-double in ACC play and matched her rebounding high against conference opponents. She leads the league in offensive rebounding and bolstered her numbers with seven against the Blue Devils.

The Tar Heels, who came into the game having shot 35 percent or lower from the field in five of the past six games, started hot, making three of their first six shots. They led by two with under a minute to play in the first quarter and finished the first 10 minutes down by three, 22-19, and shooting 46.7 percent.

The margin was still three, Duke 30-27, after a Koenen jumper with 3:27 to play before halftime. But Blue Devils guard Miela Goodchild, who finished with 12 points off the bench, scored five in a row to put Duke up by eight and at halftime the visitors' lead was nine, 41-32.

UNC was never again closer than that, as the Tar Heels shot 22.2 percent in the third quarter and 26.7 in the fourth to finish the game at 33.3 percent from the field. Carolina didn't make a three-pointer after halftime.

The 19-point final margin matched Duke's largest lead of the game. Haley Gorecki led the Blue Devils with 23 points and nine rebounds. After Goodchild's 12, Onome Akinbode-James had 10. Jade Williams led Duke with 10 boards as her team won the rebounding battle 43-30. (UNC had 12 offensive rebounds to Duke's 11.)

For the third game in a row, UNC was without leading scorer and rebounder Janelle Bailey, who is out of the lineup with an injury and cheered her teammates on from the bench. She will be a game-time decision for Carolina's ACC Tournament opener on Wednesday.