Jamie Cherry gave the North Carolina women’s basketball team (14-12, 3-10 ACC) an 89-88 victory over Georgia Tech (14-12, 3-10) on Thursday night in Carmichael Arena. With only two seconds to go in the game, the junior guard sank one of her trademark “Cherry Bombs” from well behind the arc to bring the Tar Heels victory after seeing her team down by as many as 16 in the first quarter.
What happened?
The Yellow Jackets got the game off to a fast start, utilizing a full-court press defense to build an early lead. North Carolina’s guards were discombobulated by this pressure and struggled to manufacture offense. UNC was shooting the ball well but struggling to get shots off, firing up only 15 shots in the first quarter compared to Georgia Tech’s 22.
On the other side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets took advantage of their size to score at will inside the paint.
As the second quarter began and North Carolina settled into the pace of the game, Georgia Tech’s pressure became less and less effective. At the same time, UNC’s interior defense locked down, holding the Yellow Jackets to 5-of-13 shooting in the quarter.
As the shots kept falling for the Tar Heels, Georgia Tech’s lead shrunk. Thanks to 12 first-half points from redshirt sophomore guard Paris Kea and 10 from first-year guard Taylor Koenig, North Carolina trimmed the deficit to 46-42.
UNC took its first lead of the game, 50-49, with 6:38 to go in the third quarter on two Kea free throws, but Georgia Tech entered the fourth quarter with a 71-67 advantage.
With 2:04 left on the clock Kea hit a turnaround jump shot in the post to tie the game at 83. After five free throws for the Yellow Jackets and a 3-point shot for North Carolina, Georgia Tech held a two-point lead with six seconds remaining. With six seconds left, Cherry calmly caught the inbound pass and took a couple dribbles before pulling up. Despite shooting from practically the half-court logo, Cherry’s shot found nothing but net. The Yellow Jackets were unable to get a shot off in the final seconds as UNC held on for a 89-88 victory.