UNC Women’s Basketball falls to Duke in ACC Tournament

The UNC women’s basketball program came up short against rival Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro.

Unlike the first two matchups, the UNC women’s basketball program was unable to finish the job against rival Duke in the quarterfinals of the annual ACC Tournament.

North Carolina, playing for a second consecutive day, held the lead for just under 22 minutes of game time and led by as much as 9 in the third quarter, but fatigue seemed to get the best of Courtney Banghart’s team.

It wasn’t a pretty outing for either team, but it was a consistent struggle offensively for the UNC women’s basketball program. Overall, the Tar Heels shot just 24.2% from the floor, as they actually shot the ball at a higher percentage from three-point range (26.3%) than they did from within the arc.

The Tar Heels’ “big three” of Deja Kelly, Kennedy Todd-Williams, and Alyssa Ustby all had their fair share of struggles in this one. Kelly knocked down just four of her 22 shot attempts, while Todd-Williams and Ustby combined to make just five of their 23 attempts from the floor. Kelly, who had 11 points, was the only UNC women’s basketball player in double-figures.

Playing on back-to-back nights isn’t something that is common in college basketball, as you saw it have an impact on North Carolina in this one. Especially considering that some of the team’s main players log a ton of minutes on a regular basis, it seemed as if the fatigue made a major impact, especially shooting the basketball.

Although the ACC Tournament didn’t go as planned, the UNC women’s basketball will turn its attention to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. We’ll have to wait and see if the Tar Heels did enough to earn the opportunity to host the first two rounds at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill.

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