Behind 3-point proficiency, the North Carolina women’s basketball team claimed its third victory in three days.
UNC (3-2) closed out the weekend with a 70-63 win over Yale (3-1) in Carmichael Arena in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge.
The Tar Heels’ early shooting prowess allowed the team to dominate in the first half. An early 3-pointer by sophomore guard Jamie Cherry gave UNC a 5-0 lead, one it held for the rest of the half. By intermission, 12 of the Tar Heels’ 33 points came from beyond the arc, where they shot at a 50 percent clip.
With aggressive first half play, UNC was able to go into the locker room with a comfortable lead – but the game was far from over.
The second half saw ripened intensity from the Bulldogs. And in less than two minutes, Yale narrowed the lead to a 3-point deficit.
Halfway through the second half, a 3-pointer by Meghan McIntyre puts the Bulldogs two points away from tying the game.
Then the Tar Heels buckled down for battle and Cherry came up big.
Following two sunken foul shots by senior forward Xylina McDaniel, Cherry got a jumper and drew the foul, giving the Tar Heels a five-point lead, and turning the tide back in their favor. With a jumper by senior guard N'Dea Bryant and an additional two-pointer for Cherry, the Tar Heels took an 11-point lead.
But UNC was not fully in the clear.