The North Carolina women's basketball team pounced on Michigan State in the first half of its second-round NCAA Tournament matchup with the Spartans.
UNC leads 36-27.
The fourth-seeded Tar Heels opened the game on a 12-2 run and finished the opening 20 minutes strong led by freshman guard Diamond DeShields.
After meeting contact and awkwardly falling to the court, DeShields limped off the court before being taken to the locker room. She returned a few minutes later to continue her scoring tear.
DeShields ended the first half with 18 points — 7 of which she scored in the first 4 minutes and 52 seconds of the game.
Michigan State leading scorer Aerial Powers picked up her second foul at the 13:34 mark and would not return for the remainder of the first half after immediately heading to the bench.
Both UNC and Michigan State have struggled to get into a rhythm on offense, shooting 33 and 32 percent respectively.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
