After beating Miami on Thursday, Jan. 25 to move into a tie for first place in the ACC, the UNC women’s basketball team was easily playing its best basketball of the season.
No one could’ve foreseen what came next, as the Tar Heels lost consecutive games to Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech and Duke to fall out of the rankings and all the way down to seventh place in the ACC.
That cold stretch came to a joyous end on Thursday night, as UNC beat Pitt, 75-62, behind star forward Alyssa Ustby’s 14-point, 10-assist double-double.
Homecourt dub ✅#GoHeels | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/D7KN8qwTZD
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) February 16, 2024
The win, which was North Carolina’s (16-9, 8-5) first in February, moved it into a tie for fifth place with Notre Dame and Duke. Before they lost four in a row, the Tar Heels beat UVA, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami for a 4-game winning streak.
Alyssa Ustby continued to be a dominating force on the court for UNC, recording her 12th double-double of the year and third in UNC’s past four games. She also added seven rebounds, three steals and blocks apiece – not too shabby.
Graduate transfer Lexi Donarski led all scorers with 20 points, her highest output since New Years’ Eve against Clemson (23). Star guard Deja Kelly dropped 17 points, with nine of those coming from free throws.
The Tar Heels have an extremely winnable game on Sunday, as they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face the ACC-worst Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake (4-21, 0-13) hasn’t won since Dec. 21 last year, while a win could move UNC into a tie for fourth with Florida State.
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