With Miami already trailing 17-0 in the second quarter, Stacy Coley made a terrific catch for a 34-yard gain, only to draw an immediate 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting a UNC defender.
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A big corner three-pointer by Lexi Bando gave the Ducks a few cushion, but again they led by just one, 78-77, with 26 seconds left. The Mustangs, who will not have coach Larry Brown for the first nine games of the season as part of the school’s punishment for rules violations, are still eligible for the AP poll despite being on probation.
The Tar Heels are one of two teams nationally with an active streak of three turnover-free games heading into this weekend’s trip to Virginia Tech with a shot to clinch a trip to the ACC title game.
Portland shot 32 percent from the field, making only 11 of 31 from 3-point range.
Nate Britt was Carolina’s most complete player on the Heels for the afternoon.
“In the end we did a nice job and got the key stops down the stretch”, head coach Kelly Graves said in an interview with Oregon IMG after the game. Britt hit clutch baskets when the game was still close and played the best defense of any Carolina player.
Sophomores Petersen and Lexi Bando, were a double threat to Carolina’s defense with their three-point shots – nothing but net for both ladies.
Air Force is the only other team nationally with an active streak of three turnover-free games, according to STATS. Berry notched 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in Friday’s season opening-win over Temple – a convincing 91-67 triumph – but forward Kennedy Meeks stole the show with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting. The Stags got many long rebounds in this game, rebounds that Jackson needs to try to get before leaking out on the break. The game went back-and-forth until intermission. To put it bluntly, Miami (6-4, 3-3) was outplayed in every aspect of the game.
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North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, left, struggles for possession of the ball with Fairfield’s Jonathan Kasibabu and Matija Milin, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Sunday, November 15, 2015. Ohio State is believed to be the first program to begin the season playing the top two teams in the country. Berry, Britt and Pinson have so far been Carolina’s only shooters and without all three on the floor the Heels face serious issues in the half-court offense. The Tar Heels capitalized on those opportunities, scoring two touchdowns off the takeaways. The Heels will obviously be helped when Marcus Paige comes back but if either Berry or Britt get in foul trouble before he’s back, then Carolina could drop a game early.
