Tar Heels strike early, hold on for 81-68 win over Hoos

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Four Cavaliers scored in double figures, but No. 20 North Carolina held on to defeat Virginia, 81-68, Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena.

For the fifth-straight game, Camryn Taylor led the Hoos in scoring as she finished with 16 points along with 7 rebounds. Kymora Johnson (13 points, 5 assists), Olivia McGhee (12 points, 4 for 7 FG) and London Clarkson (10 points, 7 rebounds) rounded out the list of double-digit scorers for the Hoos.

The Tar Heels (12-5, 4-1 ACC) took control from the start and did not trail in Sunday’s contest. UNC leaped out to a 14-point lead early on in the second quarter. Deja Kelly finished with a game-high 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting for the Tar Heels.

HOW IT HAPPENED

North Carolina connected on five of its first six shots to open up an 11-2 lead. Taylor scored the Cavaliers’ first nine points of the game, which included a made 3 from the corner. A made 3 by Sam Brunelle trimmed the UNC lead to seven, 19-12, by the end of the first.

The Tar Heels grasped their largest lead of the game [28-14] with 7:21 to go in the second quarter. Virginia closed out the half by scoring seven unanswered to cut it back to a two-possession game at the break, 37-32. Clarkson scored six of her 10 points in the second quarter.

Virginia (8-8, 0-5) tied the game for the first time, 52-52, after another 7-0 run scoring run that was capped by a pair of made free throws by Taylor with 28 seconds to play in the third. A made free throw by the Tar Heels seven seconds later gave them a one-point advantage [53-52] heading into the fourth. For the second consecutive quarter, UVA tallied 20 points, seven of which were Taylor’s in the third.

Carolina scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and later orchestrated an 8-0 run to fuel a 28-point fourth quarter. The Cavaliers’ last made field goal was a 3 by Johnson with 4:55 to play at which point UNC led, 65-61. Virginia made seven free throws in the final 1:32, but was it not enough as the Tar Heels tallied their fifth consecutive win over the Cavaliers. Johnson scored eight of her 13 point total points in the fourth, connecting on a 3 and sinking five free throws.

NOTES 

• With 16 points, Taylor led Virginia in scoring for the fifth-straight game.
• Taylor’s 16 points marked her 10th-consecutive double-digit scoring output.
• Virginia had four players score in double figures (Taylor 16, Johnson 13, McGhee 12, Clarkson 10).
• Virginia trailed by as many as 14 points with 7:12 to go in the second quarter, but tied the game, 52-52, with 28 seconds remaining in the third.
• Virginia received 28 points from its bench, which marked the ninth game this year in which the Cavaliers have posted at least 25 points from their reserves.
• With the win, the Tar Heels improved to 59-34 in the all-time series with UVA and tallied its fifth straight win of the series.

UP NEXT

Virginia returns to John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday to host Notre Dame, which is ranked 18th in the most recent AP top-25 poll. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).