The Miami Hurricanes (16-7, 6-4 ACC) defeated the North Carolina women's basketball team (14-9, 4-6 ACC) 92-72 on Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena.
What happened?
The game started off with a back-and-forth battle before Miami gained a 13-9 advantage, including nine points from first-year guard Mykea Gray.
North Carolina followed closely behind the rest of the quarter and the Hurricanes held a 23-19 lead headed into the second period.
Miami had a hot start in the second quarter and stretched its lead to 29-19. The Tar Heels battled back to cut the lead to 32-30, but the Hurricanes, refusing to be caught, stretched the lead back out to 10 once again.
Headed into halftime, the Hurricanes had a sizeable 45-36 lead. Mykea Gray led the team with 12 points and added a rebound. Paris Kea, the scoring leader for the Tar Heels, had 19 points, while forward Jaelynn Murray recorded four blocks.
After a relatively close first half, the third quarter changed the entire complexion of the game. Miami started the half missing its first two shots, then followed by making five of its next six to increase its lead to 58-46 with under five minutes left in the quarter. The team further built on this stretch by making 7-9 shots, including 3-4 from beyond the arc to close out the quarter on a 10-0 run.
With one quarter left, the team compiled a 73-52 lead from four double-digit performers, an offensive production that could not be matched. Strong scoring performances from Kea and first-year Janelle Bailey were not enough to keep the game close.
UNC offered little resistance in the fourth quarter and the Hurricanes continued to dominate. They held a 20 point lead and coasted to the win.
