Trailing by 15 points early in the fourth quarter, it looked like the UNC women’s basketball team’s perfect start would come to a screeching halt on the road at Boston College.
Through three quarters, the Tar Heels were shooting a paltry 16-45 from the floor and had just 47 points to show for it. The Eagles, on the other hand, were on the heels of red-hot shooting in the second and third periods, combining to make 16 of 24 shots during those 20 minutes. A made jumper early in the fourth to extend the lead to 62-47 moved BC’s game field goal percentage to a sizzling 53.5.
The offensive explosion from the Eagles had turned around what was an eight-point Tar Heel lead in the first quarter. Everything was pointing toward Carolina’s first appearance in the AP Poll in five years being a short-lived one.
That all changed in the final 9:48.
UNC slowly clawed back from the 15-point hole, using buckets from Eva Hodgson, Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams to chip away. A three-pointer from Hodgson with 5:15 remaining sliced the lead down to single digits, before four free throws from Carlie Littlefield and a layup from freshman Destiny Adams got Carolina to within two points at 66-64. It was the closest the game had been since the early moments of the second quarter.
Boston College had a response ready, using a 7-2 run to extend its lead back to seven points with 2:23 left in the game. The Eagles would not score again.
After a free throw from Adams cut the lead back to six and the Carolina defense forced a stop, Littlefield knifed into the lane to convert a layup and draw a foul. She hit the ensuing free throw, then nabbed a steal on the other end of the floor. Littlefield put a bow on the sequence by again finishing at the rim, getting the Tar Heels to within a point.
The UNC defense then forced turnovers on the next two Eagle possessions. Though the Tar Heels couldn’t make the first one count, Kelly made good on the second, swishing a step-back jumper with 10 seconds remaining to give UNC its first lead in almost 28 minutes of game time. Kelly then stole the BC inbound pass, making it four straight possessions in which the Carolina defense forced a turnover. After getting fouled, Kelly knocked down both free throws.
A Boston College three-pointer with one second left missed, and somehow, UNC had won the game, 76-73. They’d outscored the Eagles 29-13 in the fourth quarter.
What. A. Finish.
Highlights from today’s win at Boston College ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oNAsuzTnDT
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) December 19, 2021
“I have a no-quit group,” head coach Courtney Banghart said after the game. “This team proved to be so resilient, and trusting, throughout a hard-fought battle. What a gritty win that was, and certainly a game we’ll learn a lot from. We didn’t play our best, but we found a way to win anyway. We’re thrilled to be headed home with an ACC victory.”
Perhaps just as impressive as the comeback, Carolina overcame sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby’s poorest game of the season. Ustby finished with a season-low seven points after scoring in double figures in seven of the previous nine games. She also fouled out for the first time this season.
In Ustby’s stead, Littlefield, Kelly and Hodgson did the heavy lifting on offense. Littlefield finished with a season-high 22 points, powered by a 9-9 performance from the foul line. Kelly extended her double-digit scoring streak to 10 games with 19. And Hodgson, back in her home region of New England, poured in 15 points off the bench while playing a season-high 31 minutes.
Sunday was the first time UNC had trailed at halftime all season, and their 30 minutes trailing for the game exceeded the total of the entire previous nine games combined. Carolina shot just 24-61 from the field in total, but their 25-30 mark from the foul line was by far a season-best. The Tar Heels came in averaging just 68.4 percent on free throws.
The team’s 10-0 start is its best since the 2010-11 season. Carolina has now won four true road games this season after winning just three last season. The team will return home for its next matchup however, a Tuesday afternoon game with Alabama State. The Tar Heels will then break for the Christmas holiday before fully diving into ACC play on December 30 against Syracuse.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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