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Kate Harpring puts on an absolute show in UNC's victory over Penn

The freshman guard continues to prove why she was regarded as the top-rated player in her high school graduating class.
ByNick Delahanty
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Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kate Harpring (15) moves the ball against Lizzy Spaight (8) during the McDonalds All American Girls Game at Desert Diamond Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kate Harpring (15) moves the ball against Lizzy Spaight (8) during the McDonalds All American Girls Game at Desert Diamond Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In case you need a friendly reminder: Kate Harpring is good at the sport of basketball.

The former McDonald's All-American and five-star rated prospect put together her best performance yet on Saturday, leading UNC to a victory on the road over Penn.

While Penn wouldn't allow UNC to walk all over them on their home court, the main difference in this game was Harpring. The Quakers had no answers for Harpring, and her stat line proves just that.

Kate Harpring stars in UNC's victory over Penn

Harpring played all 40 minutes, finishing the game with her first 30-point performance of her collegiate career. She knocked down five three-pointers and shot 52.4% from the floor, almost accounting for half of North Carolina's scoring output.

Now, it's not common for a UNC freshman to drop 30 in a single game. You'd have to go back to 2018 for the last time that happened, showing how rare it's been over the years.

Honestly, given the way Harpring can score the basketball, this might become more common during her time in Chapel Hill.

While her 30 points were huge, Harpring also impacted the game in several ways. She also recorded seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals, contributing to the victory.

Fortunately, Harpring, along with Achol Acot (who added 16 points of her own) carried the scoring load for UNC in a game where offense was tough to come by otherwise. This performance goes to show that the Tar Heels have an alpha in Harpring, someone who can take over a game at any point.

As she gets more comfortable competing at the college game, expect to see more big-time performances from Harpring like the one we all witnessed on Saturday afternoon. Even just four games into her college career, Kate Harpring has already made herself must-see television for anyone who follows women's college basketball.

Harpring and the Tar Heels will now head to the happiest place on Earth, Disney World, for a two-game stretch against Texas Tech and Alabama as part of the WBCA Showcase. As the competition gets tougher, it will be interesting to see how Harpring and the Tar Heels perform as they look to build momentum as non-conference play continues.

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