Tricia Liston added 15 for the Blue Devils (20-1, 10-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who blew the game open with a 29-3 run over 10 minutes, led by 31 at halftime and was up by as many as 33 points in its fifth straight win in the rivalry.
UNC's Sylvia Hatchell was going for her 900th victory to become only the third coach in women's basketball to reach that milestone, along with Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt. But the Tar Heels (20-3, 8-2) had no early answers against the Blue Devils. Duke shot 56 percent, hit 7 of 9 3-point attempts and kept adding to the lead by cashing in on turnovers or the offensive glass during the dominant first half.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, shot just 22 percent and had twice as many turnovers (14) as field goals (7) in the half.
North Carolina finally showed some fight after halftime but still never seriously threatened a comeback. The Tar Heels pulled to within 60-42 with 12 1/2 minutes left on Brittany Rountree's layup off a turnover, but Liston answered with a 3-pointer and a spinning basket in the lane to shut down UNC's best push.
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 18 points to lead the Tar Heels, but she had 11 of the team's 24 turnovers. North Carolina shot 33 percent for the game in its first home loss. Waltiea Rolle added 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Hatchell's next chance at her 900th win will come Thursday at Boston College.
