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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Presbyterian College women's basketball team gave No. 16 North Carolina its toughest test of the young season, but fell to the Tar Heels in Carmichael Arena on Tuesday night, 61-38.
PC moves to 2-3 on the year while UNC improves to 4-0.
The team takes a break for Thanksgiving before returning to action on Sunday against South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. The 1 p.m. contest will be televised on SportSouth and live audio will be available on GoBlueHose.com.
The Blue Hose held North Carolina 30 points below its lowest output of the season and limited the Tar Heels to 37.7 percent shooting from the floor, another season-low. PC also forced 19 Tar Heel turnovers and registered 13 steals against a squad ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll.
Kristen Stevens (Pickerington, Ohio) led PC with 11 points. Dria David (Lawrenceville, Ga.) added 10 as well. Four PC players grabbed four rebounds each on the night, including Mariah Pietrowski (Elizabethton, Tenn.), Sherece Smith (Clemson, S.C.), Shonda Burnside (Gray Court, S.C.) and Stevens.
Burnside and David tallied a team-high four steals and Karlee Taylor (Asheville, N.C.) dished out three assists.
Chay Shegog led North Carolina with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Blue Hose provided solid defense in the first half, holding the Tar Heels to a season-low 30 points and forcing 11 turnovers after the opening 20 minutes. North Carolina took an early lead but PC hung tough, pulling to within six points 7:41 before halftime thanks to a Taylor three-pointer.
UNC widened its lead down the stretch but a Pietrowski jumper kept the deficit under 10 with fewer than three minutes left. The Tar Heels added eight points, however, to take a 30-13 lead into the break.
The Tar Heels looked to build on their lead but Smith and Pietrowski worked to keep the Blue Hose scoring. Stevens also turned in three-pointers in the final frame for nine of her 11 points, including two in a row midway through the half.
PC scored 25 points in the second half and was only outscored by six points. Seven different members of the Blue Hose found the scoreboard in the final stanza.
David made two steals in the period, both leaping grabs in transition to keep the Tar Heels from converting on easy buckets.
The junior scored both of PC's final two field goals, including a layup as time expired.
