No. 11 Blue Devils Clipped By No. 22 North Carolina

Sunday, February 26

Durham, N.C.

12 p.m.

Duke University

24-5,14-4ACC

North Carolina

20-9,11-7ACC

North Carolina

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 11 Blue Devils Clipped By No. 22 North Carolina

2/26/2023 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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DURHAM – No. 11 Duke held a 36-29 lead early in the fourth quarter against No. 22 North Carolina, but a 16-6 run to close the game secured the victory for the Tar Heels Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils (24-5, 14-4 ACC) were led by Elizabeth Balogun, who finished in double figures for the third consecutive game as she tallied 12 points along with five rebounds. Shayeann Day-Wilson, Vanessa de Jesus and Celeste Taylor each tallied six points for Duke, with Day-Wilson and Taylor also adding five rebounds and two assists to their statline.

Deja Kelly, Kennedy Todd-Williams and Alyssa Ustby scored nine points apiece to pace North Carolina (20-9, 11-7) in the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The first quarter was a tightly contested 10 minutes of play that featured five lead changes and one tie.
Balogun opened the scoring for Duke with a three from the right corner then Day-Wilson followed that up with a perfect trip at the charity stripe.
Taylor cashed in another triple for Duke and de Jesus hit a runner in the lane to give the Blue Devils a 10-6 lead at the 3:35 mark.
Mia Heide scored the last four points for the home team as the Blue Devils would take a 14-8 lead into the quarter break.
Offense was at a minimum in the second quarter as the teams combined for just 14 points.
The Blue Devils held a 20-14 lead at the break with Balogun (4) and Kennedy Brown (2) comprising the scoring in the second period.
Duke increased its advantage to 23-16 early in the third on Balogun's trey from the left benchside quarter.
North Carolina countered with a 9-0 run to go in front by a pair (25-23) at the 4:41 mark.
de Jesus halted the visitor's run with a midrange pullup, Ashlon Jackson scored in the paint and de Jesus added a pair of free throws to close out the quarter for Duke, as the teams went into the fourth quarter deadlocked at 29.
Duke opened up a seven-point margin early in the fourth quarter as Taylor buried a triple from the left wing, Balogun added a layup and Day-Wilson hit a short jumper to put the Blue Devils ahead.
North Carolina's game-clinching run saw the Tar Heels hit three shots and go 9-of-9 from the charity stripe to claim the 45-41 victory.

GAME NOTES

The Blue Devils played in front of a sellout crowd of 9,314 fans – the first time since the 2018-19 season that Cameron Indoor Stadium reached full capacity for a women's game.
Duke concludes the regular season at 24-5 overall and 14-4 in ACC play.
The Blue Devils' 24 wins are a program best dating back to the 2017-18 season while the 14 conference wins are the most since 2012-13.
Duke held its opponent to 50 points or less for the 15th time this season.
Duke's second-place finish in the ACC regular season standings is its highest since 2016-17.
The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle against North Carolina, outrebounding the Tar Heels 38-30, including a 12-5 advantage on the offensive boards leading to an 11-2 margin in second chance points.
Six Duke players pulled down at least five rebounds in the game, led by Jordyn Oliver with six.
Oliver's five first-quarter rebounds is tied for the sixth most in an opening period all-time.
Elizabeth Balogun reached double figures for the third consecutive game and 14th time this season as she finished the contest with a dozen points.

UP NEXT:
Duke turns its attention to the post season, beginning with the ACC Tournament set for March 1-5 in Greensboro, N.C. The tournament bracket is released on Sunday evening.

To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."

#GoDuke