Tag: UNC Women’s Basketball

Alyssa Ustby named to All-ACC first team

North Carolina Tar Heel Alyssa Ustby has been named to the All-ACC first team.

North Carolina women’s basketball star [autotag]Alyssa Ustby[/autotag] has been named to the All-ACC first team, joining teammate Deja Kelly.

Ustby has been the ideal player for Courtney Banghart, giving UNC a player who can do it on both ends of the court. She has played an enormous role in North Carolina’s success, starting 73 of 80 games since 2019.

This year has been one of Ustbys’ best, with a career-best 13.2 points per game while averaging a career-high 51% from the field. Utsby’s ability to hit the glass has also seen consistency, leading UNC with 8.7 rebounds per game.

Ustby did spend some time on the sidelines this season, making the first-team nod even more special. She was sidelined due to injury, and the team felt her void going 2-3 in games played without her

Ustby has since returned to the court and already looks like herself. In North Carolina’s 45-41 win against Duke, Ustby finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and three steals.

UNC will be counting on Utsby this postseason as they look to chase gold.

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Deja Kelly named to All-ACC first team

North Carolina Tar Heel Deja Kelly has been named to the All-ACC first team for the second year.

North Carolina women’s basketball star [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] has earned a spot on the All-ACC first team for the second year.

The San Antonio, Texas, junior guard has become a household name nationwide, collecting accolades throughout the season. In October, Kelly was named the Phil Knight Invitational MVP. Kelly dominated the tournament. She delivered a memorable performance against Iowa State, finishing with 29 points and eight rebounds.

Kelly has been a great scoring option for UNC, often being the circled player on opposing team charts. Her best performance came in early February against Syracuse, where she had her season-high 32 points on an effective 52% from the field.

Kelly was posed to have a big year, which has shown as her field goal percentage improved and increased assists per game. In addition, Kelly leads UNC in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game.

The junior will be counted on in the postseason, with North Carolina heading into the tournament as a top 20 team in the nation.

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UNC women to play Thursday in ACC Tournament

North Carolina women’s basketball team is scheduled to play Thursday in the ACC Tournament.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program will be in action Thursday as they compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

UNC finished the regular season with a 20-9 overall record. Seven of those nine losses came in ACC, where they finished with an 11-7 record.

North Carolina enters the ACC tournament as the seventh seed. Despite a low seeding, it is more telling about how strong the conference is than UNC plays this season. UNC not only beat the top seed in the tournament Notre Dame, but they also swept the third seed Duke Blue Devils.

North Carolina did get a high enough seed that they do not have to play on Wednesday, as they await the winner of Clemson/Pitt.

North Carolina will be at full strength heading into the postseason with star player Alyssa Utsby returning into the lineup. Utsby led the Tar Heels in rebounds this season, averaging 8.7 rebounds. In addition, star guard Deja Kelly led the team in points averaging 16.5 this season.

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UNC women’s basketball falls short against Virginia Tech

The UNC women’s basketball program couldn’t pull off the upset as No. 9 Virginia Tech prevails.

The UNC women’s basketball program had a shot to take down No. 9 Virginia Tech at home on Thursday night. And for most of the game, they had the lead and looked like the better team.

That was until the final seconds.

After Deja Kelly hit a jumper with 12 seconds left to give UNC a 58-57 lead as they were looking for the upset. But seconds later, Virginia Tech answered back with two free throws.

Alyssa Utsby was able to tie the game after splitting a pair of free throws, making the score 59-59. However, it was Elizabeth Kitley who got the last laugh.

Kitley hit a shot with no time remaining to give the Hokies a 61-59 win in Carmichael, avoiding the upset. The Hokies star scored 21 points as they were able to pull it out in the end.

North Carolina built their lead early, taking a 16-9 lead after the first quarter in this one. They held a 32-28 lead at the break as Virginia Tech fought back.

The Hokies cut the lead down to just three at 45-42 after the third quarter. It was the fourth quarter where Virginia Tech prevailed and got the win.

Kelly led the Tar Heels with 18 points while Kennedy Todd-Williams had 13 in the game.

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North Carolina senior Ariel Young retires from basketball

North Carolina women’s basketball senior Ariel Young retires from basketball. However, she will still help the team from the sidelines.

On Monday night, the North Carolina women’s basketball program announced senior [autotag]Ariel Young’s[/autotag] playing career was officially finished.

The news shocked many because North Carolina is on the brink of a push to end the regular season. Young was a pivotal acquisition for UNC, joining the program in 2020 midway through Courtney Banghart’s first season.

In a press release, Banghart spoke about Young and the impact she will still have on the program.

“Ariel has worked so hard to get back on the court and sadly it just isn’t going to happen,” Banghart said. “When you’ve played basketball your whole life, it’s so difficult to see it end, and as a coach it’s excruciating to watch that happen for one of your players. Ariel will absolutely remain just as big a part of our team, and she is adored as she settles into this new role.”

Young spent all last season rehabbing a knee injury suffered during the preseason. Young played three games in December this year but has not seen the court since.

Young’s knowledge of the game will play a significant role for North Carolina as her contributions now come as a voice for a team making strides in the NCAA.

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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 two spots in the AP Top 25 poll

The North Carolina women’s basketball team moves up two spots to No. 6th ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team has been a team to watch this, and thanks to their unblemished start, they earned another leap in the Associated Press Poll.

UNC had a great weekend, winning the Phil Knight inventional over No.5 Iowa State in a 73-64 comeback. Thanks to that win, and their established status, North Carolina has moved into the No. 6 spot in this week’s AP Poll.

UNC has steadily climbed the ranking since the season started. They came in the year ranked 12th, then down to 13th, to move up five spots to eighth last week before moving into the sixth spot this week.

During their 6-0 start, UNC has dominated weaker opponents and secured two wins over top 25 ranked schools, No. 18 Oregon and No.5 Iowa State. The team clicks on all cylinders, with ball movement being the focal point. North Carolina averages 17 assists per game, with a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio.

UNC will be back in action Thursday, December 1st, when they hit the road to take on No.6 Indiana.

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UNC women’s basketball completes comeback to win Phil Knight Invitational

The UNC women’s basketball program upset No. 5 Iowa State in the Phil Knight Invitational.

The trip to Portland, Oregon was at least enjoyable for one UNC basketball team this past weekend. As the men went 1-2 and suffered back-to-back losses, the women’s program went 2-0 and capped it off by beating No. 5  Iowa State 73-64 to capture the title on Sunday.

Courtney Banghart’s team rallied from a 17-point deficit to stun the Cyclones and capture the Phil Knight Invitational.

Deja Kelly led the way for the Tar Heels, scoring 29 points including 22 in the second half to help lead the comeback. Kelly’s efforts landed her MVP honors of the tournament.

After UNC got off to a slow start, they trailed the Cyclones 35-22 at halftime.  But in the second half, UNC got things going outscoring Iowa State 23-18 in the third quarter and then 28-11 in the fourth to seal the win.

Kennedy Todd-Williams scored 17 points while Alyssa Ustby added 14 in the win for UNC.

It was the third-straight game that UNC had to overcome a halftime deficit including two of those against ranked opponents. The Tar Heels completed the tournament by beating Oregon and Iowa State, both ranked teams.

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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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