North Carolina
WBB Falls In OT At Duke – University of North Carolina Athletics
Playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium, senior Deja Kelly scored a game-high 20 points, with 18 of them coming after halftime and 11 in the third quarter alone. Her total included 7-7 shooting from the foul line. Freshman Reniya Kelly added 13 points and graduate student Lexi Donarski 11 as both played in a Carolina-Duke matchup for the first time. Senior Alyssa Ustby led UNC with nine rebounds and three assists.
For the Blue Devils, Delaney Thomas came off the bench for a career-high 19 points, Taina Mair scored 13 and Ashlon Jackson had 10.
The Tar Heels scored the first six points of the game and, although Duke tied the game at 12-12 late in the first quarter, never trailed until the fourth quarter. They held the advantage throughout the first three quarters, eventually stretching it to 14 points, 46-32, after a driving layup by Deja Kelly with 1:15 to play in the third period.
Duke outscored UNC 19-7 in the fourth quarter and grabbed its first lead of the game on a three by Mair with 2:52 remaining. The Tar Heels got the lead back on a three-point play by Donarski to go up by two. Duke tied it at 53-53 on a pair of free throws by Oluchi Okananwa with 1:31 on the clock, and neither team scored again after that. A steal by Reniya Kelly with four seconds to play gave Carolina a late chance for the win, but Duke tied up the ball on Kelly’s drive to the basket with less than a second on the clock, and Ustby’s shot on the inbounds play hung on the rim before falling out to send the game into overtime.
Deja Kelly opened overtime with her first three of the game, but that was the Tar Heels’ largest lead of the period. The Tar Heels were 3-10 from the field in OT and the Blue Devils hit four of their seven shots to take the win. The final score was the home team’s biggest lead of the day.
Free throws were a bright spot for UNC as the Tar Heels made 18 of 21, paced by Deja Kelly’s 7-7 day. Carolina also won the rebounding battle, 44-33. Duke held a 30-14 advantage in the paint and 31-6 lead in points off the bench.
The win gives Duke two in a row in the series, following a victory in the 2023 ACC Tournament. UNC had won four regular-season matchups in a row heading into Sunday’s game.
Carolina is back in action on Thursday, hosting Pitt for a 6 p.m. game at Carmichael Arena.
Notes:
• The game was the 10th time this season that Deja Kelly has scored 20+ points and the 31st time in her career
• With 1,726 career points, Kelly moved into 14th place on UNC’s career scoring list.
• Lexi Donarski finished the game with 1,497 career points and is set to become the second Tar Heel this season, following Kelly, to pass the 1,500-points milestone.
• The game marked the first time in ACC play this season that UNC has led at halftime (26-25) and lost.
• Duke’s nine blocks were a high by a UNC opponent this season and the Blue Devils’ nine turnovers matched the low by an opponent.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
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Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
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