UNC women give up late lead but show poise at end, advance

COLUMBIA, S.C. — You want to be playing your best basketball in March, and No. 8 seed North Carolina arguably produced that for one half of Friday’s game. The Tar Heels’ season-long trend of blowing big leads nearly bit them again.
But UNC delivered the early punches and lockdown defense throughout to take down No. 9 seed Michigan State 59–56 in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at Colonial Life Arena.