It may be a new year, but for the No. 24 UNC women’s basketball team, Sunday evening was the same old story. Led by a career-best performance from sophomore guard Deja Kelly, the Tar Heels jumped all over the visiting Clemson Tigers early and fought off a comeback attempt in the second half to clinch the program’s third ACC win, and its 13th straight to begin the season.

Kelly poured in 31 points, by far a career-high for the second-year player from San Antonio. It’s the second time this season Kelly has set a career-high mark in scoring, after she dropped 25 in a road win over TCU in November. She continues to be Carolina’s leading scorer on the season, with Sunday’s outburst moving her to a 17.5 points per game average. She also extended her double-digit points streak to 13 games.

Kelly did more than just score; she completely stuffed the stat sheet against the Tigers. In addition to her 31 points, Kelly brought down four rebounds, dished out four assists against just one turnover, grabbed two steals and added in a block for good measure. Unsurprisingly, she led all Tar Heels with a +29 plus-minus rating on the game.

With Kelly scoring 10 of her 31 points in the second quarter, the Tar Heels opened up a sizable early lead over the Tigers, sitting on a 46-24 advantage at halftime. That margin grew to as much as 30 in the third quarter on a layup from Kennedy Todd-Williams, who tied her career-high with 14 points.

But the Tigers began to claw back as the half wore on, using a 14-0 run to slice the lead down to as little as 14 points at 68-54. A jumper from Ustby broke a Carolina scoring drought of more than three minutes and stopped Clemson from intruding any further into the lead, before Kelly’s fifth three-pointer of the game broke the score open once again. Kelly’s five three-pointers made is also a career-high.

Carolina once again profited from numerous takeaways. Its defense forced 25 Clemson turnovers, which turned into 25 Tar Heel points. Of those 25 turnovers, 18 were steals, marking the fifth straight game and eighth overall this season in which UNC has racked up 10 or more steals. Sunday was also the 11th time in 13 games this season Carolina has allowed fewer than 70 points to the opponent. UNC’s scoring defense average of 50.8 points per game remains among the nation’s best, and its scoring offense average of 83.1 ranks No. 6.

With the win, Carolina is now 3-0 in ACC play for the first time under third-year head coach Courtney Banghart, and the first time since the 2012-13 season, when the Tar Heels began conference play 6-0. The 13-game winning streak is also the program’s longest since the 2010-11 season. Carolina can tie the mark set by that team by winning its 14th consecutive game, but that will be the tallest task the Tar Heels have faced this season. A road showdown at No. 5 NC State looms on Thursday. The Wolfpack are the first ranked opponent Carolina will face this season, and the two-time defending ACC Tournament champions. However, UNC has split the season series against NC State each of the last three years, including a road win in Reynolds Coliseum in February of 2019.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

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