North Carolina’s Nyla Harris and Lanie Grant celebrate following the Tar Heels’ 74-69 win over Duke on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Chapel Hill
Louisville transfer Nyla Harris wasn’t part of the rock fights the Tar Heels have had with the Blue Devils in recent years, but she made sure to bring plenty of physicality to Sunday’s matchup.
The senior forward scored 10 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter — battling hard in the post and on the boards — to help lift the No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels to a 74-69 win over No. 12 Duke on UNC’s Senior Day.
“She understands the battles and what it takes to succeed,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said of Harris. “And then did a great job of making the free throws… they did a great job of shot-making when it mattered most.”
North Carolina sophomore guard Elina Aarnisalo scored a career-high 22 points, while Harris added 19. Redshirt junior forward Ciera Toomey led the Tar Heels on the boards with eight rebounds.
With the win, North Carolina (25-6, 14-4 ACC) split this year’s series with its rival. Sunday also marks the Tar Heels’ first win over an AP-ranked team this season. Duke (21-8, 16-2 ACC) has already clinched the top seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament thanks to its 80-52 victory over Florida State on Thursday. UNC will be the No. 3 seed.
The Tar Heels fell behind by seven points in the opening minutes, but after much back-and-forth play, used a barrage of 3-pointers in the third quarter to pull ahead by six.
Duke’s Jordan Wood reacts after a foul was called on North Carolina during the first half of the Blue Devils’ game on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown [email protected]
By the time Duke senior guard Ashlon Jackson drained a corner 3 midway through the fourth quarter — complete with a staredown of a few nearby Tar Heel fans — to give the Blue Devils their first lead of the second half, it was clear this contest would likely come down to whichever team had the ball last.
UNC had a few advantages down the stretch, and the Tar Heels could thank Harris for that, as the senior’s relentless battle on the boards caused Duke junior forward Delaney Thomas to foul out with two and a half minutes remaining. The Blue Devils’ leading scorer, Toby Fournier, also fouled out soon afterward.
In that sense, North Carolina also had the officials to thank. After attempting no free throws in their loss to Duke earlier this season, the Tar Heels took 18 shots from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter alone Sunday.
North Carolina’s Elina Aaronisalo drives past Duke’s Delaney Thomas during the first half of the Tar Heels’ game on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown [email protected]
Four Duke players finished in double figures. Jackson led the way with 17 points, while redshirt sophomore guard Riley Nelson added 13. Thomas and Fournier each finished with 12.
Aarnisalo paced UNC in shot attempts, but made that high volume count. The UCLA transfer led the Tar Heels in scoring through three quarters with 15 points — nine of those coming from a 3-of-4 performance from deep. She also led UNC with 38 minutes and four assists.
The native of Helsinki, Finland, entered Sunday on the heels of a then-career-high 20-point outing at Virginia on Thursday. Her four triples against the Cavaliers were also a career high, which she tied again on Sunday.
“Her being aggressive is critical,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said of Aarnisalo. “She’s a nice kid, really nice kid from Finland. We’ve really tried to impart how aggressive she needs to be to help our team win… her maturation is partly why we’re getting better.”
Here are some takeaways from the game:
UNC flips switch from deep at halftime
The Tar Heels set a single-game 3-point record in their last outing — draining 16 triples in an 82-70 road win over Virginia on Thursday — to surpass the previous program record of 14.
And yet, by the time UNC sophomore guard Lanie Grant drained a 3-pointer to cut North Carolina’s deficit to three points just before halftime, it marked just the second make on UNC’s first nine attempts from deep. After 20 minutes of play, the Tar Heels had managed to make just 22% of their 3-point attempts.
North Carolina’s Lanie Grant drives against Duke’s Ashlon Jackson during the first half of the Tar Heels’ game on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown [email protected]
Compare that to the second half, which saw North Carolina come out of the gate firing. UNC scored two straight triples — one from Grant and one from Toomey — before Harris battled her way to the free throw line to put UNC up 36-31.
Duke briefly responded, but two 3-pointers from Aarnisalo — with a Grant layup in between — helped North Carolina go up 44-38 midway through the third quarter, marking the Tar Heels’ largest lead of the game.
UNC shot 42.9% from deep in the second half, making six of 14 attempts.
Duke’s interior defense disrupts Tar Heels
While UNC outscored Duke, 20-12, in the paint in the first half, the Tar Heels also left plenty of points on the board, going 7-for-16 on layups.
The Blue Devils, led by their top rim protector in Fournier, recorded four blocks in the first half. Even when Duke didn’t record blocks, the team’s height and length — from starters Fournier and Riley Nelson (both 6-foot-2), to Jordan Wood and Arianna Roberson (both 6-foot-4) coming off the bench — clearly disrupted UNC’s ability to finish around the rim.
During one scoreless three-minute stretch for the Tar Heels in the third quarter, Wood blocked a Grant drive and Nelson guarded Harris closely, causing the senior to travel.
By the end of the game, UNC had managed 28 points in the paint, but worked hard for each of them. The Tar Heels finished 11-of-23 around the rim.
Nelson, Thomas, Fournier and Jackson lead balanced Duke scoring attack
The Blue Devils have been led on offense by Fournier’s 18 points per game this season, but the Toronto native had plenty of help from her teammates.
Fournier was one of four Duke players who finished in double-digit scoring. Jackson joined the likes of Fournier, Thomas and Nelson when the senior guard drained a corner 3-pointer to put Duke up 58-56 midway through the fourth quarter — marking the Blue Devils’ first lead of the second half.
Each member of Duke’s fearsome foursome provided a different look on offense. Fournier made her living by getting to the line and constantly being on the hunt for putbacks. Jackson and Nelson each hit three shots from behind the arc. And Thomas proved a big boost in the third quarter — recording seven points on 3-of-4 shooting in that frame.
Still, with the team’s foul trouble and UNC’s late execution, it wasn’t enough for Duke to get it done Sunday.
This story was originally published March 1, 2026 at 2:25 PM.
