Melgoza's Career-High 25 Not Enough in 90-78 Loss to North Carolina

Sunday, December 17

Myrtle Beach, SC

1:00 PM

University of Washington

5-5

North Carolina

9-2

Washington

North Carolina

Melgoza's Career-High 25 Not Enough in 90-78 Loss to North Carolina

December 17, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. --- Amber Melgoza scored a career-high 25 points but it was not enough as North Carolina used a big run between the second and third quarters to beat Washington 90-78 on Sunday afternoon at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

The loss drops the Huskies to 5-5 on the season while the Tar Heels improve to 9-2 with their seventh-straight victory.

Melgoza had a great game, going 9-of-19 from the field including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc to finish with 25 points. She also had five assists and four rebounds in 29 minutes. Mai-Loni Henson added 15 points with Jenna Moser and Alexis Griggsby each adding eight.

The game was close through the first half with Washington leading by seven just under two minutes into the second quarter. But UNC closed out the quarter on a 24-9 run to take an eight-point halftime lead and didn't look back.

North Carolina was led by a trio of players in double-figures led by Paris Kea, who had 33 points and eight assists. Jamie Cherry added 28 points while Janelle Bailey had 19 points and seven rebounds in the low post. Just two other UNC players scored, combining for 10 points.

Foul trouble proved to be a big issue for Washington in the first half as the Huskies were whistled for 14 fouls to UNC's three. That allowed the Tar Heels to head to the line 17 times where they converted 13 including going 10-of-12 from the line as they pulled away in the second quarter. Overall, the Tar Heels were 19-of-24 from the line while UW went 10-for-11.

North Carolina jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead through the first two minutes but UW responded with a quick 7-2 run with Melgoza accounting for all of the Husky points to make it 10-9. The teams went back and forth over the next six minutes with a free throw by UNC giving the Tar Heels a 23-17 lead with 1:22 left.

Washington responded well, with Melgoza getting an offensive rebound and getting a quick layup. After a UNC miss, Melgoza drained a three-pointer in transition to make it a one-point game. Moser then forced a five-second count on the ensuing North Carolina possession and Missy Peterson drained a three-pointer as time expired to give UW its first lead of the game at 25-23 after one quarter.

The Huskies kept things going in the second quarter as three-pointers from Melgoza and Moser along with a pair of free throws by Henson stretched the UW lead to seven at 33-26 with 8:25 left. But UNC went on a long run, going on a 21-9 run the rest of the way to take a 50-42 lead at halftime. Foul trouble was the biggest issue for the Huskies, who were whistled for 14 fouls in the first half including nine in the second quarter. North Carolina committed just three fouls through the first half but converted 13-of-17 free throws to UW's 2-of-2.

Washington closed the gap a bit to open the third quarter, using a 6-2 run capped by four more points from Melgoza to make it 52-48 just 1:30 in. However, the Tar Heels used a 14-4 run midway through the quarter including three-straight possessions which netted three points to take a commanding 70-56 lead with 3:00 left. Out of a timeout, Khayla Rooks drained a three-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer and Johnson hit a tough jumper in traffic to make it a single-digit game at 70-61 with 1:40.

But UNC took over from there, using a 14-3 run over the next six minutes spanning the quarter break, to take its largest lead of the game at 84-64. The Huskies weren't quite finished, though using a quick 7-0 run with Henson hitting a jumper and a three and Fapou Semebene draining a pair of free throws to make it 84-71 with 4:21 left. North Carolina would again pull away to make it an 18-point game, but the Huskies closed the game on a 7-0 run to make it an 12-point spread at the end.

UW's defense helped keep the team in the game as the Huskies forced 21 turnovers and collected 13 steals. It was the seventh game this season the Huskies have recorded 10 or more steals and the sixth-straight game forcing 20 or more turnovers.

Washington closes out its non-conference schedule at home on Wednesday, hosting cross-town rival Seattle University at 7:00 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena.