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North Carolina Lady Tar Heels Upset No. 7 NC State Wolfpack

Landon Bost

Raleigh, Nc. – The North Carolina Lady Tar Heels (14-9, 5-4 ACC) knocked off the No. 7 NC State Wolfpack (21-1, 8-1 ACC), the last undefeated team in the country, 64-51.

The third quarter defined today’s game. The Tar Heels outscored the Wolfpack 19-8 in the third, and held Wolfpack graduate senior Kiara Leslie, and season’s leading scorer, scoreless in the second, and third quarter.

Redshirt senior Paris Kea, the season scoring leader for the Tar Heels, had a rough shooting day. She scored 17 points, but  shot 6-23 (1-9 3FG) from the field.

However, the play of sophomore center Janelle Bailey, and redshirt junior guard Stephanie Watts lifted the Tar Heels to their fourth consecutive win, and second win in the last week against a top-10 opponent.

Impact Players

Kiara Leslie, Wolfpack graduate student guard: Leslie started the game red-hot. She scored 10 points in the first quarter. however, she went cold midway through the game. She finished with a double-double: 17 points, and 12 rebounds.

Janelle Bailey, Tar Heels sophomore Center: Bailey finished with 16 points, and 13 rebounds for a double-double. She controlled the paint on both ends of the floor.

Stephanie Watts, Tar Heels redshirt junior guard: Watts dominated the game on both ends of the floor. She finished with two blocks, and two steals. She shot 8-13 (3-4 3FG) for 20 points, and grabbed eight rebounds: three offensive, and five defensive.

Game Commentary

  • The Tar Heels ran their offense through Bailey early in the game.
  • Leslie was tasked with guarding Kea on defense.
  • In spite of being charged with two personal fouls in the first quarter, Bailey started the second quarter for the Tar Heels.
  • Watts scored a layup for the Tar Heels to give them their first lead with 4:57 left in the second quarter.
  • The Wolfpack shot 4-5 to close the half with 32-31 lead.
  • Kea shot 2-12 (0-4 3FG) in the first half.
  • The play of Bailey, and Watts kept the Tar Heels within reach in the first half.
  • The Tar Heels wore the Wolfpack down in the third quarter.
  • The Wolfpack made concerted effort to force the ball inside coming out of the fourth quarter.
  • Watts headed to the bench with 5:58 left in the fourth quarter after picking up her fourth foul. She subbed back into the game with 3:44 left in the fourth quarter.
  • Watts banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter. That basket took the life out of the Wolfpack.
  • The Tar Heels outrebounded the Wolfpack 42-40.

Quick Hits

  • Kea made her first 3-point basket with 5:17 left in the third quarter.
  • Wolfpack and Tar Heels both grabbed 22 rebounds in the first half.
  • The Tar Heels picked up 4 team fouls in the first 1:35 of the fourth quarter.
  • The Tar Heels had zero bench points.
  • There were 12 lead changes in the game.
  • Both teams combined for 12 assists: eight for the Wolfpack, and four for the Tar Heels.

Firsthand Perspective

“Obviously, tough loss,” said Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore. “I thought to start the second half, Carolina came out, and really attacked the bucket, got to the foul line, got some easy points in transition and really turned the momentum around.”

“From the first shot,” Bailey said when asked about the advantage she had on the inside. “I don’t think my first shot went in, but I felt good about it, and I knew I had single coverage, and when I have single coverage: that’s better for me. When people double-team me, I look out to my teammates. So, I feel like out team is so versatile that, even if you have two people guarding one person, we still have many other weapons to beat you.”

“The team, like coach Hatchell said, is playing great basketball,” said Watts. “I wouldn’t want to be out there with any other group. We’ve just been really excited, but we’re not satisfied. So, we want more. We want to keep it rolling.”

What’s Next

The Wolfpack play their first of three road games against the No. 24 Florida State Seminoles (19-3, 7-2 ACC) Thursday, Feb. 7 at p.m. EST.

The Tar Heels play their second consecutive rivalry game matchup against the Duke Blue Devils (10-11, 2-7 ACC) at home on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. EST.