UNC Basketball: Women’s team falls to Hurricanes in Coral Gables

UNC women’s basketball program drops second consecutive game, falling to Miami by a final score of 67-63

Destiny Harden scored a game-high 20 points for Miami on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor and 3-of-8 from three-point range, as the Hurricanes beat the Tar Heels by a final score of 67-63 in Coral Gables on Monday.

Harden added a team-high 12 rebounds, two steals and one assist in 28 minutes against the Tar Heels. Only two other Hurricanes, Kelsey Marshall and Taylor Mason, scored double-digit points against North Carolina. They each had 11 points, but combined to hit just 7-of-25 shots for the game, while missing eight of their 11 three-point attempts and converting just 5-of-10 from the free throw line.

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North Carolina was led by Alyssa Ustby, who scored a team-high 17 points off the UNC bench. She shot a stellar 7-of-10 from the floor, while adding eight rebounds, three assists and four steals in 29 minutes. Freshman guard Deja Kelly scored 16 points, but did it on a terrible 6-for-21 shooting performance. She did connect on three of her six attempts from beyond the arc, however, and turned the ball over just once in a game-high 34 minutes on the court. Janelle Bailey recorded a 14-point, 13-rebound game against the Hurricanes in her first double-double of the season.

Just four other Tar Heels got into the scoring column on Monday, but none with more than five points. Petra Holešínská had her worst game of the season to date, scoring just five points on 2-of-8 shooting and 1-of-4 from the charity stripe. She also committed a game-high four turnovers in 26 minutes.

North Carolina trailed Miami by 10 points at halftime after a cold-shooting first half. They hit just 36 percent of their shots for the game, and an atrocious 3-of-19 from long-range. Even worse was their 10-for-22 showing at the free throw line. Because of those shooting numbers, the Tar Heels’ second half comeback attempt fell short, and they dropped to 5-2 overall, and 0-2 in the ACC. With the victory, the Hurricanes improved to 4-1 overall, and 1-1 in conference play.

The Tar Heels will take the floor again on Thursday night when they face off with the Syracuse Orange at Carmichael Arena. Stick with Keeping It Heel for coverage of that, and everything UNC women’s basketball.