Senior forward Maria Gakdeng made a pre-season goal. On Thursday night against Syracuse, she fulfilled her pre-season promises.

She'll be back, which I think is really good for the ACC,” North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart said. “We've got a real chance as a league to do something really special.” ...

Jewel Spear scored 20 points and Talaysia Cooper added 16 as No. 15 Tennessee continued its late-season surge with an 88-80 ...