BOSTON (AP) — Carlie Littlefield scored 22 points, Deja Kelly added 19, including the last four in a game-closing 10-0 run and No. 25 North Carolina rallied to defeat Boston College 76-73 on Sunday.
The Eagles seemed to have the Atlantic Coast Conference opener under control when Jaelyn Batts opened the fourth quarter with a jumper to cap a 10-0 run that made it 62-47.
From there BC went 5 of 12 with nine turnovers. A 9-0 run pulled North Carolina within 66-64 with 4:05 to play but Cameron Swartz scored five quick points for the Eagles.
When Maria Gakdeng made a layup with 2:23 to go, BC led 73-66. Littlefield had five-straight points before Kelly’s step-back 13-foot jumper from the left of the lane with 10.2 seconds gave North Carolina its first lead since early in the second quarter. Kelly then stole the ball and made two free throws with 9.1 seconds to play. A 3-pointer by Swartz was long off the rim as time ran out.
Eva Hodgson added 15 for the Tar Heels (10-0), who are ranked for the first time since the 2015-16 preseason.
Swartz and Marnelle Garraud both had 20 points for Boston College (7-3), who haven’t beaten a ranked team since Jan. 30, 2010. Gakdeng added 11 points.
North Carolina only shot 39% (24 of 61) and was outrebounded 40-27 but went 25 of 30 from the foul line. Boston College, which had three starters foul out, shot 51% (28 of 55) but had 27 turnovers turned into 27 points, and was 10 of 12 from the line.
Both teams had their previous game canceled because of opponents dealing with health and safety protocols.
_____
More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
