Late surge not enough as UNC women's basketball falls to Boston College

Down by as much as 23 in the fourth quarter, the UNC women's basketball program could have easily folded in their final road game of the regular season.

However, a fourth quarter surge was on the horizon, but unfortunately, it fell just short.

Behind a strong defensive effort en large part to a full-court press, North Carolina mounted a 17-3 run to put the game within striking distance. Some key contributions from Sydney Barker and Indya Nivar helped mount the comeback effort, but unfortunately wasn't enough to put the Tar Heels over the hump.

On their 'Senior Day,' Boston College led the entire game other than 56 seconds of game action. The Eagles, who had lost 10 straight coming into this game, were on their game, as they were very much ready to get back in the win column.

The Tar Heels, on the other hand, lacked the energy they typically play with early on, as offensive woes became the storyline of this game.

Over the first 10 minutes of play, Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby were held scoreless. It's not the best recipe for success to have your two leading scores combine for under double-digits through the first half of play.

Additionally, Lexi Donarski couldn't find a groove, as the trio combined for 25 points on 5-37 shooting on the night.

The difference came from beyond-the-arc, as Boston College knocked down 10 triples compared to North Carolina's five. It wasn't for a lack of trying, as the Tar Heels attempted 26 three-point field goals over 40 minutes of action and had plenty of second chance opportunities due to offensive rebounding success.

On the positive side, Maria Gakdeng was outstanding in her return to Boston College, finishing the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Nivar provided 16 points off the bench while Barker, who left the game after taking a kick to the nose which resulted in massive bleeding, had five points in limited action. Teonni Key provided some quality minutes as well, finishing the contest with eight points of her own.

Needless to say, it was a disappointing effort from the UNC women's basketball program, especially given the game meant so much to them in regard to the ACC Tournament seedings. They'll look to finish the regular season on a good note as they host rival Duke on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill.