Both teams struggled early in the game, as the score was only 6-4 in favor of the Huskies at the 15:35 mark. As each squad found its offensive game, the scoring columns lit up. The Tar Heels (2-1) kept the game close behind the sharpshooting of freshman Leah Metcalf, who finished with a game-high 25 points and five 3-pointers.
UConn (3-0) held an 11-point lead with 4:23 left in the first half before sophomore Diana Taurasi went on a scoring spree. Until that point, the shooting guard had yet to score, but Taurasi reeled off 12 straight points for the Huskies to make the halftime score 51-34.
The Huskies opened the second half with a 5-0 run and maintained a lead of at least 20 for most of the remainder of the game. UConn posted its largest lead of the game at the 6:39 mark with an
82-52 edge, but the Tar Heels narrowed the the gap behind the shooting of Metcalf, Coretta Brown and preseason Naismith Award candidate Nikki Teasley, who sat out most of the first half with early foul trouble.
Teasley had 10 points, and Brown scored 17 for UNC. North Carolina finished with 11 3-pointers in the loss.
UConn seniors Swin Cash and Tamika Williams each registered double-doubles.
Williams posted 10 points and a career-high 19 boards while Cash notched 16 points and 11 rebounds. For the game, UConn outrebounded UNC 70-31, with the most rebounds ever recorded in a game against the Tar Heels.
Senior Sue Bird led UConn in scoring with 20 points while senior Asjha Jones rounded out the Husky double-digit scorers with 17. Taurasi finished with 14 points.
