Kelly rallies No. 13 North Carolina women past James Madison
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Deja Kelly scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half and No. 13 North Carolina rallied to defeat James Madison 76-65 on Sunday.
Kiki Jefferson hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points as the Dukes (3-2) took a 34-30 lead at halftime. But the Tar Heels (4-0) hit four 3-pointers to grab the lead in the third quarter and made 12 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter to pull away.
Eva Hodgson, a transfer from William and Mary where she lost to James Madison four times, hit four 3s and scored 18 for North Carolina. Alyssa Ustby added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Anya Poole had 12 rebounds to go with six points.
Jefferson had 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Dukes. Peyton McDaniel hit five 3s and scored 17 points and Jamia Hazell added 11 points
North Carolina had a 20-13 advantage in the third quarter to go up 50-47. A 12-3 run to open the fourth quarter, beginning and ending with Hodgson layups, gave the Tar Heels a 62-50 lead. But Jefferson was a handful and she scored six straight points to pull James Madison within 68-63 and her basket with 2:12 to play returned it to a five-point game at the 2:12 mark. The Dukes had three misses and two turnovers down the stretch.
North Carolina heads to Oregon for the Phil Knight Invitational and plays No. 21 Oregon on Thursday.
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