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The women stood tall with a short hand.
Carolina was trying to set some records and sew up some seeds, but it was highly unlikely the Tar Heels could beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium with their best rebounder and star scorer injured and sitting out.
Courtney Banghart played the long game after the 68-53 loss that was WAY closer than the final score indicates. She seemed to say it would be okay “if we get better” from gaining more experience competing through three quarters without them.
Absentees Senior Alyssa Ustby (knee) and sophomore Reniya Kelly (lower body) both average around 11 points a game and play most minutes with Lexi Donarski, who was on the Cameron court for 37 of the 40 minutes and scored her average. Freshman Lanie Grant led the team with 17 points, also playing 37 minutes.
UNC was up a point at the half and stayed close until Duke’s dead-eye shooter Reigan Richardson exploded to wind up hitting five 3-pointers and finish her Senior Night with a game-high 23 points. Good for her.
The Heels hurt themselves with 20 turnovers and wound up owning the awful stat of giving up almost 50 points to Duke in two games on almost 50 turnovers they committed. Carolina won that match at Carmichael Arena in a dramatic overtime game.
This time, the teams exchanged scoring runs until Banghart’s banged-up crew could not keep pace in the fourth quarter as Duke wrapped up the victory with the fatal blitz that included Richardson’s fifth three-ball.
The Dukies tied Carolina for third place in the ACC standings, along with Louisville and Florida State that all have 13-4 records. That’s why the tiebreaker is so important for seeding in the ACC tournament next week in Greensboro.
It was UNC’s first true road loss in the ACC and overall in quest of a school record. UNC closes the regular season on Sunday against Virginia, almost a must win to assure finishing in the ACC’s top four teams that get double-byes in the conference tournament.
On the radio Matt Krause explained that the Tar Heels hold a tiebreaker over Duke by virtue of their win over N.C. State and Duke’s loss to the Wolfpack. So beat Virginia on Senior Day and the mess at the top is cleared up.
If you are looking for another angle, as obviously I am, The Blue Blood men’s teams meet a week from Saturday on Carolina’s Senior Night at the Smith Center.
Now, stay with me on this one.
Like the Tar Heels were against Duke, the Blue Devils could be without two of their top seven, red-hot guard Tyrese Proctor and backup big man Maliq Brown. That game isn’t supposed to be as close as the women’s match, but the Devils playing with a short bench might give Hubert Davis’ team a better shot at an upset.
We can all hope (for the upset, NOT the injuries)!
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: The Long Game Chapelboro.com.
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