The UNC women’s basketball team bounced back Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena, using 24 points from Deja Kelly to defeat Wake Forest, 71-58.

Kelly has now scored in double figures in six consecutive games. She was the only Tar Heel to score more than 11 points against the Demon Deacons, as Destiny Adams and Kennedy Todd-Williams were the only other teammates to reach double figures.

The bulk of Kelly’s scoring came in a hot-shooting first half, as her 17 points paced a Carolina squad which shot 54.8 percent as a team in the opening 20 minutes. Wake Forest wasn’t far behind, shooting exactly 50 percent and trailing by just four at the break.

Kelly added seven more points in the third quarter, but it was Carolina’s defense which gave it all the cushion it needed. The Deacons scored just six points in the period and shot 3-14 (21.4 percent) from the floor. The cold spell allowed the Tar Heels to stretch the lead to 14 points and effectively cruise through the fourth quarter. Carolina expanded the lead to as many as 20 in the final 10 minutes and never let it get below the final margin of 13.

The shorthanded hosts were once again dealing with the absences of Alyssa Ustby and Eva Hodgson, who sat on the bench but did not dress for the game. Hodgson is dealing with an upper-body condition which has kept her out since late January, while Ustby has been diagnosed with a lower-body injury, suffered in practice, which has kept her out since the beginning of February. Head coach Courtney Banghart has said she expects both to play again this season, though she did not provide a timetable.

It would be fair to eye Carolina’s next game, at home against Virginia Tech on Thursday, as a possible return for Hodgson. The Tar Heels will celebrate Senior Night against the Hokies, with Hodgson and Malu Tshitenge each appearing in their final regular season home game. It is possible Carolina could be awarded a host spot for the first two rounds of next month’s NCAA Tournament as well, though recent losses have rendered that unlikely.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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