The UNC women’s basketball team fell to the Maine Black Bears, 85-73, on Sunday at Carmichael Arena.
What happened?
The opening quarter was one defined by runs. Maine (5-2) stormed out of the gates, causing mayhem defensively and jumping out to a 7-0 lead, forcing an early time out from UNC head coach Sylvia Hatchell.
After three minutes, senior guard Paris Kea removed the lid from the basket for the Tar Heels, sinking a three to end the North Carolina (5-4) drought. This bucket started a six point spurt for UNC, bringing the deficit down to one. The teams battled the entire quarter, but Maine held an advantage for the majority of the period. With 27 seconds remaining, two free throws from UNC’s Taylor Koenen brought the score to 18-18, the first tie since the opening tip.
The second quarter saw an offensive explosion. A pretty pass from redshirt sophomore Jocelyn Jones to center Janelle Bailey gave UNC its first lead of the afternoon at 20-18. Now it was the Tar Heels turn to hold a slender lead, something they could not do very long. Blanca Millan took the lead back for Maine on a three with 6:31 remaining, sparking a 19-5 run for Maine on the way to a 44-32 lead at the break.
The Black Bears took firm hold of the game in the third quarter maintaining a double-digit lead nearly throughout. Field goal percentage, especially from three, was a major advantage for Maine in the game. At the end of the third quarter, UNC found itself trailing 62-45 as Maine shot twice as well from deep (52 percent to 21), and the Tar Heels trailed by 17 going into the 4th.
The Tar Heels continued to compete in the final frame, but the Maine lead was too large to surmount. The Black Bears poured in another three long balls in the quarter, making it 16 on the night as a team, a mark that tied a school record. A long Stephanie Watts three with five seconds remaining made the score a little better, Maine left the building a 12-point victor.
Who stood out?
Despite the loss, UNC got another strong performance from its center Janelle Bailey. The sophomore posted another double double, her fourth of the season. In the process, she paced the Tar Heels in both scoring and rebounding with 21 and 10, respectively.
