Kate Harpring scored 30 points to lead No. 23 North Carolina to 71-60 win over Penn

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sensational freshman Kate Harpring scored a season-best 30 points to lift No. 23 North Carolina to a 71-60 win over Penn on Saturday.

Achol Akot added 16 for the Tar Heels (2-2).

North Carolina led 57-48 early in the fourth quarter before Penn (4-1) scored five straight to make it a four-point game. The Tar Heels answered with nine straight points, including five by Harpring to put the game away. Her 3-pointer made it 64-53 and gave her 30 points. It matched the most points ever by a freshman in school history and was the first time a North Carolina player had scored 30 points since Deja Kelly did it in 2023.

Mataya Gayle scored 24 and Tina Njike added 18 for Penn, which hung around for the first 35 minutes of the game.

North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart is no stranger to Penn after spending 12 years as the coach of Princeton. When Penn coach Mike McLaughlin reached out to her to see if the Tar Heels would be willing to play at the Palestra in honor of the building's 100th anniversary this year, Banghart jumped at the opportunity.

Harpring had a stellar first half, scoring 19 points to stake the Tar Heels to a 35-31 lead. She was hitting from all over the court, including four 3-pointers. Njike kept Penn in the game with 13 points.

North Carolina: plays in the WBCA Showcase in Orlando against Texas Tech on Thursday.

Penn: plays at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday.

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