UNC Defeats Rival Duke to Snap Their 11-game Win Streak

CHAPEL HILL, NC — 19 points and 3 steals from junior guard Deja Kelly led the No. 17 ranked UNC Tar Heels over long-time rival No. 13 Duke 61-56 on Thursday night.

The Tar Heels snapped Duke’s 11-game win streak in the win as the Blue Devils hadn’t lost since playing UConn back on November 25. Carolina is fresh off a win over No. 11 NC State on Sunday.

The game remained close throughout the first half despite the low-scoring effort after the first two quarters. Sophomore guard Shayean Day-Wilson led the Duke scoring surge with 24 points and scored eight of those in the first half.

Duke went on a 7-0 run out of the halftime break, which was followed by a 15-3 run by UNC to grab the lead. The Tar Heels would hold on to the lead for the rest of the way behind Alyssa Ustby’s 12 second-half points. Kennedy Todd-Williams also put in 15 points and grabbed 7 rebounds en route to the UNC victory.

With this win, North Carolina moved to 13-5 on the year and 4-3 in the ACC as they moved to 3-0 at home against ranked opponents this season.

The Tar Heels look to win their fifth straight on Sunday at home against Georgia Tech at 4 PM ET. Duke on the other hand looks to bounce back on the same day as Syracuse comes to town at Noon.