North Carolina Tar Heels at Boston College Eagles

Inspired by Sylvia Hatchell, No. 9 UNC defeats BC

"She gave the team a little motivational talk as we got on the bus to come up here," acting coach Andrew Calder said after Carolina cruised to a 71-56 victory over Boston College Sunday.

Hatchell, who has been out all season and had set a goal of returning by the ACC tournament, is reportedly in remission. She is currently hospitalized for treatment and her return, Calder said, depends on how many treatments she still must undergo.

Allisha Gray and Xylina McDaniel scored 16 points apiece and the Tar Heels (16-3, 4-1 ACC) shook off a slow start to lead by as many as 21 in the second half.

This is a young team, starting four freshmen and a McDaniel, a sophomore.

Freshman Diamond DeShields added 12 points as the Tar Heels won their fourth straight and 11th in their last 12.

She was 4 for 12 from the floor and had six turnovers.

The Eagles have lost three of their last four and all three were against top 10 teams. BC lost at No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Duke by a combined 63 points, but played the Tar Heels much tougher.

"The stretch doesn't get easier," said coach Erik Johnson, whose team also lost to No. 3 Stanford to open the season. "The ACC brings another great opponent, another great opponent. Now, not every week will we play three top 10 teams and two of them on their homecourt."

Kristen Doherty added 11 points and Katie Zenevitch 10 points in the loss.

The Eagles, third in the ACC in 3-point shooting coming in, went 1-for-10 from deep in the first half and finish 5-for-20. This is a team that needs to score from the outside, especially against a team that is more physical and talented.

"I want to say what a great job defensively that Coach Johnson did with Boston College," said Calder, whose team finished with 12 points under its season average. "I thought they gave us some problems."

The Tar Heels, who got a game-high eight rebounds from McDaniel, went 9 for 23 from 3-point range and 16 for 18 from the foul line.

Gray was scoreless until the final 4:11 of the half, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and two more baskets for 10 points in a span of just less than three minutes.

The Eagles, down eight after 11:33, got the UNC lead down to two with 3:21 remaining in the half, but Gray's personal 7-0 run built the lead to nine and it was seven at the break.

North Carolina, which next plays at Wake Forest Thursday night, is 10-1 all-time against BC.

The Eagles are at North Carolina State Thursday night.

How can I watch Tar Heels vs. Eagles?

• TV Channel: Tar Heels vs Eagles 2021 College Basketball, week 11, is broadcasted on .
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
Attendance: 1,612 | Capacity: