No. 22 Heels Break Slump By Upsetting Irish
CHAPEL HILL, NC – The 22nd-ranked Tar Heels (10-5 overall and 1-3 ACC) were looking forward to getting out of a slump, where they lost four consecutive games.
Thanks to 16 points from Freshman Guard Paulina Paris (Congers, NY) and 8 rebounds from Junior Forward Anya Poole (Raleigh, NC), the Tar Heels emerged victorious over the visiting fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-2 overall and 3-1 ACC) by the score of 60-50. This was the third consecutive home victory over the Irish, as two of their wins came win Notre Dame was ranked in the Top Five.
The Heels opened up the game when Junior Guard Deja Kelly (San Antonio, TX) made an assist to Junior Guard Kennedy Todd-Williams (Jacksonville, NC) for a three-pointer at 9:51 in the First Quarter. Then, less than a minute after, Kelly made a jumper to put the Heels ahead by the score of 5-0. Afterwards, Poole made a layup assisted by Senior Guard Eva Hodgson, to put them ahead 7-0.
The Irish scored their first points of the game when Sophomore Guard Olivia Miles (Phillipsburg, NJ) made an assist to Junior Forward Maddy Westbeld (Kettering, OH) at 7:52, where they trailed 7-2. Miles would later make a free throw at 7:31, for the Irish to trail 7-3 to the Heels. At the end of the First Quarter, the Heels held a 11-7 advantage.
The Second Quarter kicked off when Sophomore Guard Destiny Adams (Manchester Township, NJ) made a layup, to extend the Heels lead to 15-7 with 9:23 remaining. Then, Deja Kelly fouled Irish Sophomore Guard Sonia Citron (Eastchester, NY), who sank two free throws, as the Irish trailed 15-9 with 8:52 remaining. Then, Olivia Miles made two jumpers for the Irish to get within two, as they trailed 15-13 with seven minutes remaining. Finally, at 4:56, the Irish took the lead when Senior Guard Dara Mabrey made a three-pointer to give them a 20-17 lead. Notre Dame commended the first half with a 25-22 advantage over the Heels. During the second half, Notre Dame went on a 19-8 run to take the Halftime lead.
The second half saw the Heels score 21 points in the fourth quarter, thanks to Paris’ 11 out of 16 points coming during that time. UNC outscored Notre Dame by 38-25 during the Half.
On Paris’ performance, Head Coach Banghart commented, “We trust her. She doesn’t go out there to just do her own thing. She goes out there and has a high level of communication with me throughout the game. She has a high understanding of what we’re trying to do… this is a kid that believes in herself.”
For Notre Dame, Olivia Miles led the way with 15 points and five assists, while Senior Lauren Ebo (Washington, DC) had 19 rebounds.
The Tar Heels’ stout performance gave the 6,822 fans to cheer about in Carmichael Arena. After the victory, Head Coach Courtney Banghart reflected, “ It’s not often you get one Top 5 win in a year.” She added, “When you get two and it’s only January, that means something. Just really happy for them. They’ve leaned into losing some close games late, but not losing faith.”
The next game for the Tar Heels is on Thursday, January 12th against Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, for a 7:00 PM contest. On the other hand, Notre Dame will host Wake Forest at 7PM, at their home in South Bend – Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center.