CHAPEL HILL - In the first half of its Monday night win, North Carolina seemed like it kept trying to give Duke its first victory in the Tobacco Road rivalry since 2007.
But the Blue Devils simply refused to take it.
Despite forcing one turnover per minute in the opening period, Duke only managed 27 total points, and the Blue Devils' missed opportunities cost them the chance to win.
"The good news was forcing the 20 turnovers," Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "The bad news was the speed that we were trying to play at."
"It was like a nightmare, the fact that we were turning the ball over so much," North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "We were coming down and not making them work on defense. We were one pass and shoot."
For the first 17 minutes, the Blue Devils' full court pressure reduced the Tar Heels' offense to a ragged display of weak passes, quick shots and poor decisions.
Duke rushed entirely too much on offense, however, and squandered away so many chances that the Blue Devils could only convert the Tar Heels' gaffes into 10 points. The numbers were staggering. The Blue Devils shot 10-of-38 from the field in the first half, including 2-of-17 on attempts outside the paint.
"We missed almost every shot we took, so instead of the 20 turnovers turning into a whole lot of points, it did not do that for us," McCallie said. "If we had slowed down on offense in the first half, we would have had a substantial lead."
Duke made repeated mistakes in fast break situations, including hoisting quick 3-point attempts and forcing passes through traffic.
But the Blue Devils couldn't gather themselves, and North Carolina didn't give them a second chance.
With 2:24 left in the first half, North Carolina's Italee Lucas found senior Rashanda McCants for an easy basket, and the Blue Devils' window of opportunity began to close quickly. A little more than two minutes later, She'la White hit a buzzer-beating floater to pull the Tar Heels within two points and bring a once-dormant crowd to its feet.
Despite trailing by 12 points at one point in the first half, North Carolina entered halftime with all the momentum. Given the fans' reaction inside Dean E. Smith Center, it felt like the Tar Heels were winning by 10 instead of trailing by two.
"I would like to say thank you for making my last game against Duke a great game," an emotional McCants said to the crowd after the game. "You all put us on your back and made it way more comfortable."
North Carolina certainly looked more at ease after the intermission, and the crowd wasn't the only reason. Soon, the Tar Heels were, indeed, up by double digits.
"We really struggled against their press in the first half," Hatchell said. "The adjustments we made at halftime, they did it to perfection and it made a big difference."
North Carolina closed with an air-tight second half, giving Duke almost none of the chances it was afforded earlier. The Tar Heels only committed nine turnovers and shot 64 percent from the field.
Duke's chance to give McCallie her first win over the Tar Heels was certainly there in the first half.
But 50 second-half points later, the Blue Devils' advantage was gone.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.