Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Women’s Basketball

UNC women’s basketball falls on the road at NC State

The UNC women’s basketball team couldn’t hold a fourth-quarter lead and lose at NC State.

Thursday’s matchup against in Raleigh for the UNC women’s basketball program got off to a good start. But it ended the wrong way for the Tar Heels.

NC State rallied back in the second half, using a big fourth quarter and then overtime period to get a 77-66 home win. The Tar Heels had a 44-37 lead after the third quarter but couldn’t hold on in the end.

The Wolfpack outscored the Tar Heels 25-18 to force the extra quarter and then took advantage with a 15-4 output in overtime. UNC really had no answer for the Wolfpack in that extra quarter after playing solid basketball all night long.

The loss was the third in the last four games for the Tar Heels in what is a tough ACC this year. They have three games remaining this year hosting Wake Forest and Virginia Tech before closing out the year on the road at Duke.

Deja Kelly led the Tar Heels with 18 points while Paulina Paris had 14.

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Deja Kelly named Phil Knight Invitational MVP

UNC Junior guard Deja Kelly was named MVP for the Phil Knight Invitational after leading the Heels to victory over No. Iowa State.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team earned their first trophy of the season, winning the Phil Knight Invitational, with [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] earning the tournament’s MVP honor. 

Kelly has been playing great basketball for the 6-0 UNC program but turned it up another notch during the Phil Knight Invitational. North Carolina qualified after beating No.18 Oregon, where Kelly poured it on, finishing with 17 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.  

The Junior guard stepped it up even more in the championship game in the Tar Heel comeback win over No. 5 Iowa State. Kelly finished with a season-high 29 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists to her dominating night. 

This award could be the first of many Kelly wins this season, as she is on the watch list for the Wooden Award, Naismith trophy, and the Nancy Lieberman Award. 

Kelly and the Tar Heels will be back in action on Thursday, December 1st, as they travel to take on No. 6 Indiana. 

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UNC women’s basketball team moves up five spots in the AP Top 25 poll

The North Carolina women’s basketball team moves up five spots to No. 8th ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team has been flourishing this season and is now seeing some of that paid off by moving up to the eighth spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

UNC started the season ranked 13th and quickly moved up five spots after their 4-0 start. In those four games, North Carolina did not just slide by…they dominated. They are averaging 83.8 points while holding opposing teams to a 49.3-point average per game.

A key factor to the team’s success has been their lockdown defense and decisive decision-making, averaging 17.7 assists per game. UNC’s defense has been stout, forcing an average of 21.0 turnovers per game.

The team came in with much hype and has lived up to it so far. However, the competition has not been noteworthy. That will change on Thanksgiving when they travel to take on No. 18 Oregon. It will be interesting to see if UNC can deliver a statement game against a top team.

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Deja Kelly named to Wooden Award preseason watch list

North Carolina women’s basketball guard Deja Kelly adds another award to her watch list as UNC hopes to compete for a National title.

The North Carolina women’s basketball season is already off to a strong start, and it just got much sweeter for junior guard [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] as it was announced she was named to the Wooden Award preseason watch list.

Kelly is a focal point of North Carolina’s offense and pivotal to the national championship puzzle they are looking to create. The Wooden Award is a prestigious honor given to the male and female players of the year. The most recent winners are Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe and South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston.

This is one of many awards Kelly has been watched for. She is on the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award and the Naismith Trophy. Kelly is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

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North Carolina leaps to 2-0 with a 75-48 win over TCU

The North Carolina women’s basketball team delivers statement win in their second game of the season.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team kicked off their second game of the season against TCU with a slow start and strong finish.

Both teams had a share of their own runs in the first quarter. After both teams traded buckets, UNC went on a seven-point run, leading TCU 13-6. The lead did not last long as the Frogs leaped back with an 11 to 2-point run to end the first quarter and take the lead 17-15.

The second quarter went to the Tar Heels, with guard Alyssa Ustby scoring six of her 14 points in that period. TCU was able to push the lead to 19-15, but shortly after that would soon vanish with North Carolina going on an 11-point run. UNC ended the second quarter on top 30-24.

The third quarter was all North Carolina, pushing the lead to double digits early. Deja Kelly scored nine of her 12 points in the quarter as UNC outscored TCU 27-6.

By the time the fourth quarter came, the game was well out of reach—an ideal statement game for the ball club, with contributions coming from everyone. Ustby and Kennedy Todd-Willams led UNC in points with 14 each. Kelly finished with 12, Anaya Poole with 10, and Destiny Adams off the bench with ten.

The team will return on Wednesday as they take South Carolina State.

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Deja Kelly named to Nancy Lieberman Award watch list

UNC’s Deja Kelly is one of twenty named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list for the top point guard in women’s collegiate basketball.

UNC women’s basketball guard [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] has become nationally recognized as one of the top players in the country and is on the receiving end of another honor.

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Kelly was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, as one of 20 point guards named to the list The award goes to the top point guard in collegiate women’s basketball. A prize first won by WNBA great Sue Bird.

The award last season went to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.

Last season, North Carolina made significant strides with a large contribution from Kelly’s offensive attack. The junior averaged 16.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, helping UNC dance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

 

Kelly and the Tar Heels are hoping to take the next step this year and make it past the Sweet 16. They were ranked as a preseason Top 15 team ahead of the year.

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