FINAL - Duke 60, North Carolina 62:
Duke had a good chance to tie at the end, but North Carolina pulls out a deserved win at home over its biggest rival. With the Tar Heels in possession with 37 seconds remaining, the Blue Devils decided to play defense for the duration of the shot clock, and Chelsea Gray collected a rebound with just under seconds on the clock. Gray streaked down the court in time, and cut across the lane, drawing some contact but a whistle never blew. Her off-balance layup just before the buzzer sounded was blocked by Waltiea Rolle, and time expired to hand Duke its second loss of the season, and second in the last three games.
37.0 seconds left 2nd Half: Duke 60, North Carolina 62:
Senior captain Jasmine Thomas isn't going to let this game slip away if she can help it. With under a minute left and her team down five, Thomas drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut the Tar Heel lead to two.
1:33 2nd Half: Duke 57, North Carolina 62:
Jessica Breland's gamble in transition may have just sealed the deal for the Heels. On a two-on-one, Breland sent a one-handed behind the back pass across the lane to Italee Lucas, who finished from under the bucket and drew Krystal Thomas's fifth foul of the game.
1:48 2nd Half: Duke 57, North Carolina 60:
Both teams may rue missed from the foul line down the stretch. On one end, Jasmine Thomas could only knock down one of two, and on the ensuing Tar Heel possession, Cetera DeGraffenried missed the front end of a one-and-one.
2:50 2nd Half: Duke 56, North Carolina 57:
It's winning time for both of these teams, and each possession is of critical importance from here on out. Coming out of the media timeout, a sloppy inbounds pass was picked off by Jasmine Thomas and Chelsea Gray finished at the other end to give the Blue Devils a lead, however short-lived. Cetera DeGraffenreid cut through the lazy Blue Devil interior defense and scored through contact. Her foul shot gives the Tar Heels a one-point advantage.
4:45 2nd Half: Duke 52, North Carolina 52:
Vernerey, with the ball around the free-throw line, drives left and finishes with a nifty lefty hook off the glass to tie the game at 52. This has got to be Vernerey's best game in a Duke uniform.
7:25 2nd Half: Duke 47, North Carolina 48:
A personal 5-0 run from Jasmine Thomas and a huge three from the top of the arc from Chelsea Gray has the Blue Devils in the best position they've been in all half. Vernerey's inclusion in the lineup is making all the difference for McCallie's sqaud. Her ability to rebound the ball and extend the possession gives the Blue Devils a different dimension on offense.
10:09 2nd Half: Duke 39, North Carolina 43:
McCallie is starting to dial up the fullcourt trap in an attempt to take advantage of Duke's obvious strength in depth. With Vernerey on the bench however, the Tar Heels are pounding the ball inside and having success, Waltiea Rolle the latest to score in the paint.
11:56 2nd Half: Duke 38, North Carolina 39:
Duke is having an extremely hard time finding quality offensive chances, and a Haley Peters jumper has been all the Blue Devils have created in the past three minutes. Credit the Tar Heel defense first, but moreover, the Blue Devils are simply missing shots they aren't accustomed to missing.
14:33 2nd Half: Duke 36, North Carolina 37:
Chelsea Gray hit a deep 3-pointer early in the possession to reel North Carolina in, but Tierra Ruffin-Pratt continues to be a thorn in Duke's side, nailing another jumper. Gray came up big on the defensive end as well, stripping the ball and enabling Vernerey to convert on the other end. Vernerey's having a big night, with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Halftime: Duke 26, North Carolina 27:
Tricia Liston has a shot at the buzzer that would have put Duke ahead by two going into halftime, but her long-range effort found the rim and clanked, not a surprise the way the Blue Devils have shot over the last ten minutes of the period. After starting off hot, Duke ended the half shooting just 12-32. During one stretch, the Duke failed to score from the field for a period of 7:16. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they held the Tar Heels to 37.9 percent from the field, and will only be down one to start the second half.
For the halftime show, North Carolina has brought in area mascots-- Wool E. Bull of the Durham Bulls, Muddy the Mudcat from the Zebulon Mudcats, Stormy of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Geico Gecko and North Carolina's own Ramses. One notable absence, the Blue Devil.
3:16 1st Half: Duke 22, North Carolina 24:
Vernerey rewards McCallie's substitution, making a great move across the lane and finishing through contact to bring the Blue Devils back within two.
5:26 1st Half: Duke 20, North Carolina 24:
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt sends a pass right through the interior defense, finding Laura Bloomfield unguarded under the bucket for an easy layup. Without Vernerey in the game, Krystal Thomas has a lot of space to cover in the lane. Head coach Joanne P. McCallie stuck with a small lineup though for another possession, playing Kathleen Scheer at the four spot, before bringing Vernerey back on.
7:49 1st Half: Duke 20, North Carolina 21:
Ruffin-Pratt's jumper puts North Carolina in the lead, and caps a 10-0 run for the Tar Heels. The Blue Devils just aren't taking good shots out of their offensive sets, and have missed four straight shots.
Star Watch: Marion Jones, UNC grad and former Olympian, is in the building.
8:34 1st Half: Duke 20, North Carolina 19:
The Blue Devils transition defense has been tested thus far, and I wouldn't give them a passing grade through the first ten minutes. Italee Lucas is the latest beneficiary of the fast break, rattling in a jumper from just outside the paint over Jasmine Thomas. On the next possession, Lucas drained a 3-pointer to bring the Tar Heels within one.
10:14 1st Half: Duke 20, North Carolina 13:
Krystal Thomas showed a bit of range with the jumper, finding space off an inbounds play and knocking down an uncontested 15-footer. If the bigger Thomas can consistently make shots like that, Duke's got a good chance in any game it plays.
12:50 1st Half: Duke 11, North Carolina 9:
When playing on the road, it's imperative that you try and limit careless mistakes. Chelsea Gray's failed behind the back dump off to Allison Vernerey in the post not only changed a good-looking offensive play into a turnover for the Blue Devils, but it sparked a Tar Heel fast break that ended with an easy deuce for Cetera DeGraffenreid. Tierra Ruffin-Pratt's trey on the next possession has North Carolina within 2.
15:39 1st Half: Duke 11, North Carolina 2:
Richa Jackson, starting yet again for the Blue Devils after making her first career start against Miami, is making a difference already in Chapel Hill. Her active hands on defense picked off a lazy Tar Heel pass, and the freshman led a two-on-one break, dropping a perfect bounce pass for Jasmine Thomas, who easily finished under the basket. UNC is out of sync early against the Blue Devils, but they can't let Duke build too big of a lead or this game will easily get out of reach.
Hello from the high perch in Carmichael Arena as the Chronicle Sports Blog brings you live coverage of Duke-North Carolina. The Blue Devils (21-1, 7-0 in the ACC) will be looking to remain undefeated in conference play, but face their toughest in-state test of the season thus far against the 20-3 Tar Heels.
Starting Lineups:
For Duke: Jasmine Thomas, Krystal Thomas, Chelsea Gray, Haley Peters, Richa Jackson.
For North Carolina: Krista Gross, Cetera DeGraffenreid, Waltiea Rolle, Laura Broomfield, Italee Lucas.
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