Miami Hurricanes at North Carolina Tar Heels

Adrienne Motley's career-high 27 help Miami stun No. 6 UNC

The freshman guard scored a career-high 27 points, including a series of clutch jump shots down the stretch, to help the Hurricanes upset No. 6 North Carolina 83-80.

For Motley, it was an all-too-familiar feeling coming off a game in which Miami led No. 3 Duke by double figures in the first half only to lose on a last-second free throw.

"Today we worked on finishing," Motley said. "We had a mindset that we were going to come and we were going to win the game. We just had to seal the deal."

Motley hit big shot after big shot to prevent UNC from going ahead late, making 5 of 6 field-goal attempts in the second half and 10 of 14 overall.

Keyona Hayes, who finished with 14 points, had some clutch moments, too, including a second-chance layup that put the Hurricanes up 75-71 with a minute to go.

Miami, which came in 13th in the ACC in field-goal percentage, shot 57 percent against the league's top field-goal percentage defense. That shooting clip helped overcome 21 turnovers and UNC's 28 offensive rebounds that produced 24 second-chance points.

"It's taken a long while, but I like my talent," Miami coach Katie Meier said. "It's just a matter of there are certain things we need to do to win a basketball game. If we score 83, we're going to win a lot of basketball games."

The Hurricanes' hot shooting produced a 22-4 run that gave them a 38-19 lead with eight minutes to go in the first half. During that spurt, UNC had just one field goal in a seven-minute span.

But the Tar Heels answered by closing the half with a 15-2 run of their own and trailed 42-36 at halftime. UNC took a one-point lead twice in the opening minutes of the second half and stayed close, including a tie with 2:16 to play.

"We knew this would be an up-and-down game, a really athletic game," Meier said. "I thought we had to be a team that could handle runs, and I really talked to my team about shot selection and answering. For a while there, we were just going back and forth."

Xylina McDaniel and Diamond DeShields had 18 points each for the Tar Heels, but Miami held star freshman DeShields to 8-for-24 shooting.

"We're known for playing defense," said McDaniel. "For us to not really have that great of a defensive game, that really hurt us."

North Carolina honored its 1994 national championship team at halftime to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the program's only title. Head coach Sylvia Hatchell, who has missed the entire season while being treated for leukemia, joined her team for the ceremony.

How can I watch Hurricanes vs. Tar Heels?

• TV Channel: Hurricanes vs Tar Heels 2021 College Basketball, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPN3.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Venue: Carmichael Arena

Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Attendance: 3,226 | Capacity: