With the final shot of the half, North Carolina’s Tierra Ruffin-Pratt exorcised the demons that had plagued her — and the rest of the Tar Heels — early in the half.
After a four-of-20 start from the floor, UNC posted a respectable, if not superb shooting percentage of 36.7. Duke’s was just lower, at 35.7.
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt spent much of the first 10 minutes driving the lane and pulling up for ill-advised jump-shots. She ended the half at two-for-nine from the field. But the two she did make were impressive and necessary for UNC.
The first, a banked-in 3-pointer from the right of the key, brought UNC within three at 26-23. Her final shot, with under 20 seconds left in the half, was a pull-up jumper from 15 feet that dropped softly through the net to give UNC the one-point lead.
The Tar Heels’ defense was solid but not enough to counter its lackluster offense early on. UNC forced 14 Duke turnovers while committing only nine.
Senior Krista Gross added another on layups in lieu of Waltiea Rolle, who picked up three early fouls and scored three first-half points.
For the Blue Devils, Haley Peters and Alexis Jones provided eight points apiece, while standout center Elizabeth Williams put up six.
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