No. 12 Duke Falls at No. 21 North Carolina, 74-69

Sunday, March 1

Chapel Hill, N.C.

12 p.m.

Duke University

21-8,16-2ACC

North Carolina

25-6,14-4ACC

Duke

North Carolina

No. 12 Duke Falls at No. 21 North Carolina, 74-69

3/1/2026 2:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Duke had four players in double digits, but it wasn't enough as the 12th-ranked Blue Devils fell to No. 21 North Carolina, 74-69, in ACC women's basketball action Sunday afternoon inside Carmichael Arena.

It was a classic Duke (21-8, 16-2) and North Carolina (25-6, 14-4) matchup with the Tar Heels leading for 20:04 and the Blue Devils for 18:33. The game featured three ties and seven lead changes, including both teams taking the lead three times apiece in the final 10 minutes.

Ashlon Jackson led all Duke scorers with 17 points, while Riley Nelson posted 13 in the setback. Toby Fournier and Delaney Thomas both dropped in 12 apiece, while Taina Mair was Duke's top rebounder with seven boards to go along with five assists and four points. Elin Aarnisalo paced the Tar Heels with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke raced out to a 5-0 lead with mid-range jumper from Thomas on the opening possession and then a three-pointer from the top of the arc from Fournier.
The Blue Devils hit a scoring skid over the next couple of minutes but remained strong on the defensive end to keep the Tar Heels to just three points in the first five minutes.
Duke regained its rhythm, turning defense into offense to go on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a Jackson three for a 10-3 lead at the first media timeout. The Blue Devils held North Carolina to just 1-of-8 and forced three turnovers in the early going.
North Carolina scored the first four points out of the timeout to make it a 10-7 game. The teams traded baskets over the final two minutes with Aarnisalo hitting a jumper just inside the key to pull the home squad within one, 14-13, after the first quarter.
The Tar Heels grabbed their first lead of the afternoon on a corner three to start the second period, jumpstarting a 5-0 spurt for an 18-14 advantage. Duke, after turning the ball over seven times in the first 11 minutes, settled down on offense and climbed back in front with a 16-6 run. Nelson scored eight of the 16 points, knocking down a pair of threes to go with a mid-range jumper.
North Carolina made it two-point game at the half, 31-29, with five of the final six points of the quarter. Duke had a chance to go up four at the break, but Mair's jumper rimmed out.
The Tar Heels were strong from distance in the third quarter, draining four three-pointers in the first six minutes to jump to a 44-38 lead. The Blue Devils were just 3-of-9 in the first half of the third quarter.
Duke came out of the timeout and tallied the first four points to pull within two, 44-42. The back-and-forth continued with North Carolina's Aarnisalo sinking a three at the buzzer for a 52-47 lead with 10 minutes to play.
The Blue Devils clawed their way back within one, 52-51, in the early going of the fourth quarter. After falling behind again by five, Duke regained the one-point edge, 60-59, on jumper from Mair just before the media timeout.
With the home crowd behind them, the Tar Heels roared back in front, 67-61 – the seventh and final lead change of the afternoon.
A defensive stop by Duke and the ensuing Jackson three made it a one possession game with 55 seconds left to play, but North Carolina did just enough in the final moments to put away the Blue Devils for the five-point win.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils head to the ACC Championship tournament in Duluth, Georgia, as the No. 1 seed. Duke will open postseason action Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m.

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