Paris Clark makes 2 big foul shots as Virginia tops No. 8 North Carolina 78-75

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Paris Clark and Kymora Johnson each hit two late foul shots to help Virginia beat No. 8 North Carolina 78-75 on Sunday.

Latasha Lattimore had 23 points for Virginia (16-14, 8-10 ACC) in its third consecutive win. Clark scored 17 points, and Johnson had 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Clark was fouled by Indya Nivar with 13.1 seconds left. She made two free throws to give her team a 76-75 lead. Johnson added two more foul shots with 3 seconds to go.

The Tar Heels had a chance to tie, but Lexi Donarski misfired on a 3-point attempt before time expired.

Virginia trailed by as many as 18 points before rallying. It outscored North Carolina 22-15 in the fourth quarter.

Maria Gakdeng led the short-handed Tar Heels (25-6, 13-5) with a career-high 25 points. She also had nine rebounds and five assists. Donarski added 18 points, and Nivar scored 12.

North Carolina played without fifth-year forward Alyssa Ustby, who missed her fourth straight game, and guard Reniya Kelly, who hasn’t played since Feb. 23. Both are dealing with unspecified injuries, though coach Courtney Banghart has expressed optimism about them returning for the postseason.

Edessa Noyan added 16 points for Virginia.

Takeaways

Virginia: The inspired effort against one of the country’s top teams lifted Virginia to its first road victory over North Carolina since 2001, snapping a 16-game losing streak.

North Carolina: Playing without two of their top scorers in Ustby and Kelly, the Tar Heels were outscored 48-34 in the second half. They went 6 for 29 from 3-point range for the game.

Key moment

After a Donarski jumper put the Tar Heels up 73-70 with 1:35 left, Virginia responded with four straight points, including two free throws by Johnson with 27 seconds remaining.

Key stat

The Tar Heels dropped to 4-2 in games decided by four points or fewer,

Up next

The ACC tournament tips off Wednesday in Greensboro.

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