No. 15 Georgia Tech showcased its top-ranked scoring defense Sunday afternoon against No. 20 UNC women’s basketball, cracking down on Carolina and holding the Tar Heels to a season-low in points in a 55-38 drubbing.

As with the team’s loss to NC State, the Tar Heels fell into a deep hole in the first quarter and never recovered. The Yellow Jackets stormed out of the gate to a 23-9 lead after the 10 minutes of play.

“They really pounced on us,” said head coach Courtney Banghart. “We just let them get too comfortable. They scored 23 points in the first quarter and only 32 the rest of the way.”

Indeed, UNC’s defense did enough during the rest of the game to make a comeback feasible, but the offense could not get going. Carolina never scored more than 10 points in any quarter, and shot just 29 percent from the field. UNC hasn’t reached the 45 percent mark once in ACC play, after eclipsing it five times in the non-conference schedule.

Sophomore guard Deja Kelly saw her streak of double-digit scoring outputs finally come to an end, as she was held to just six points on the afternoon. Kelly had reached 10 points in each of the team’s 17 previous games. Kennedy Todd-Williams was UNC’s leading scorer, and the only Tar Heel to reach double-digit points. She finished with 10 for the game.

“Their length and their size bothered us,” said Todd-Williams. “We’re going to take this as a learning experience and grow from it.”

Despite the shooting woes, Carolina was able to slice the Georgia Tech lead to as little as eight points in the third quarter, but could make no more progress.

“It’s an experienced group that was in the Sweet 16 last year, and a very, very good team,” Banghart said of the Yellow Jackets. “A lot of credit to Nell [Fortner, the Georgia Tech coach]. She’s done a great job.”

All three of Carolina’s losses this season have come against ranked foes. The Tar Heels have yet to earn a ranked win of their own this season, though they will have plenty of additional opportunities in a loaded ACC which includes six teams ranked in the latest AP poll. A road trip to No. 21 Duke, where Carolina hasn’t won since 2014, looms on Thursday, before No. 4 NC State, rated as the nation’s top team by the NCAA’s NET system, visits Carmichael Arena the following Sunday. Carolina has earned season splits with the Wolfpack in each of the last three years.

 

Featured image via Georgia Tech Athletics

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