Cold shooting ends UNC WBB's season in Sweet 16 against archrival Duke
Cold shooting ends UNC WBB's season in Sweet 16 against archrival Duke Watching your season end against an archrival hurts.
If basketball games were decided based on the first quarter alone, the UNC women's basketball team would be leaving Friday's Sweet 16 game against archrival Duke extremely happy.
North Carolina started the game on an 11-0 run, facing little resistance from a typically strong Blue Devils defense. The Tar Heels locked in defensively, forcing a 0-for-9 start from Duke.
Alas, UNC couldn't replicate its first-quarter success in its most forgettable outcome on the year. North Carolina watched its historic season come to an end during a 47-38, defensive-minded shooting struggle against the Blue Devils.
Everything went south for the Tar Heels (29-8, 13-5 ACC) early in the second quarter, when starting center Maria Gakdeng left the under two minutes in, with what appeared to be a right leg injury. Duke (29-7, 14-4 ACC), took full advantage of North Carolina's loss, charging ahead and leading by eight at halftime.
UNC didn't make its first field goal in the second quarter until the 2:41 mark, when Indya Nivar converted a layup, closing her team's gap to 21-15.
The Tar Heels shot an ice-cold 28.3 percent from the field, making just 15 of their 53 shot attempts. North Carolina was even worse from 3-point land, sinking 3-of-11 attempts (27.3%), while a 5-for-10 mark from the free throw line didn't help, either.
Alyssa Ustby nearly picked up another double-double for UNC, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but no Tar Heel scored more than Ustby.
North Carolina hurt its comeback chances with turnovers, committing 15 on the afternoon. The Blue Devils also took advantage of this, deciding the game with 14 points off turnovers.
After its first Sweet 16 trip in three seasons, UNC is heading back to Chapel Hill with a disappointing loss. The Tar Heels will be a much younger team in 2025-2026, but luckily, they have the talent to replace impending departures.
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