And in the confusion, the Tar Heels broke their six-game winning streak with an 88-54 loss to the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Ind.
Throughout the game, the Tar Heels (12-6, 2-1 ACC) struggled to keep Notre Dame’s shooting contained, allowing the Fighting Irish (15-1, 4-0 ACC) to convert on 50.7 percent of their shots.
On the other side of the court, UNC struggled to score, shooting just 30 percent. Coach Sylvia Hatchell noted that her team’s offensive struggles allowed Notre Dame — who scored 10 fast-break points — to come up with easy transition buckets.
But in spite of its shooting woes, North Carolina kept the score tight with its prowess on the boards. In the first quarter, UNC outrebounded Notre Dame 13-6. First-year guard Stephanie Watts and redshirt junior forward Hillary Summers led the rebounding effort, snagging four apiece in the period.
But a 9-2 run at the end of the first quarter allowed the Fighting Irish to break away. As the game rolled on, Notre Dame picked up its rebounding efforts, while North Carolina slackened. Struggling to defend shots and now failing to rebound, the Tar Heels found themselves slipping further behind.
UNC was unable to turn the tide back in its favor and finished the game 34 points behind the Fighting Irish, its biggest loss of the season.
Quotable
“I hope (the loss) puts fire in their souls, because we should never lose a game like this no matter how good a team it is ... Hopefully it’s like, ‘OK, we can never let this happen again.’ We have to do better, especially in practice so that it carries over into the games.” – Senior forward Xylina McDaniel on UNC’s blowout loss
