First-game jitters? Not for the UNC women’s basketball team.
The No. 12 Tar Heels shot 65 percent in the first half of Wednesday night’s season opener against Jackson State and scored 31 points in the second quarter alone. The offensive outburst was more than enough to take Carolina past the Tigers, the reigning SWAC champions and an NCAA Tournament participant.
Junior guard Kennedy Todd-Williams led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on the night and nearly secured a double-double by hauling in nine rebounds. Teammate Alyssa Ustby did notch her 16th career double-double, putting together an efficient line of 19 points (on 9-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. Ustby showed no wear from competing in the international 3X3 basketball tournament, which kept her overseas well into the fall.
Eva Hodgson, now a starter in her final year as a Tar Heel, filled it up with 13 points on 5-6 shooting. Hodgson is the only “new” starter on the team this season, filling in for departed guard Carlie Littlefield after serving in a bench role last year.
Freshman Paulina Paris, the lone freshman on the roster, impressed in her first collegiate game, becoming the fourth Tar Heel to score in double figures on the night. Paris scored 13 points, grabbed a pair of rebounds and dished out four assists on the night. She was one of three Tar Heels, along with Todd-Williams and Ustby, to take 10 or more shots against the Tigers.
Perhaps the only negative for Carolina was free throws: UNC shot just 45 percent (10-22) from the line, including four misses from Todd-Williams. She shot 78.6 percent from the foul line last season.
On the injury front: three key Tar Heels did not dress: redshirt freshmen Teonni Key and Kayla McPherson and redshirt senior Ariel Young. All three are recovering from knee injuries; Key and Young’s occurred at the beginning of last season, while McPherson suffered hers in a recent practice. McPherson is expected to return by the beginning of ACC play in late December. Key and Young were hoping to be ready for Wednesday’s game, but were not cleared.
Still, running a nine-woman rotation didn’t seem to bother the Tar Heels, who opened the regular season with a win for the fourth consecutive year under head coach Courtney Banghart. Carolina will look to improve to 2-0 on Saturday when it hosts TCU in Carmichael Arena at 1 p.m. UNC defeated the Horned Frogs by 33 points on the road last season.
Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter
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