ACC WBB: Duke 71, UNC 55

Orin Day, Triangle Sports Network

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke Blue Devils posted a 71-55 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the opening contest of the 2016 Battle of the Blues series that took place at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

A double-double from Duke forward Azura Stevens (26 points, 14 rebounds) led all scorers.

Rebecca Greenwell (16 points, 5 rebounds), Oderah Chidom (15 points, 4 rebounds), and Kyra Lambert (9 points, 4 assists) made up the core of Duke’s offensive output.

Amber Henson’s monster work off the glass to claim a career-high16 rebounds was critical, in addition to the five points she put up.

Jamie Cherry’s 16-point performance led the Tar Heels who struggled shooting throughout the game, converting 20-of-76 for a 26-percent finish.

Though a double-double from Stephanie Watts (13 points, 10 rebounds) would have been impressive for any freshman playing her first game in Cameron, an 0-for-14 performance beyond the arc left much to wonder what might have been.

Fellow frosh Destinee Walker finished with eight points and five rebounds, but fell below her season average of 14 points per game.

North Carolina’s upperclassmen also contributed as N’Dea Bryant (10 points, 12 rebounds) posted a double-double while Hillary Summers posted eight points and 11 rebounds.

In the end, it wasn’t enough to overcome Stevens’ and the Blue Devils’ overall effort which included scoring 21 second-chance points throughout.