NC State proved why they’re considered a contender for the women’s basketball national championship Thursday night, roaring past UNC early to take an emphatic 72-45 win in Reynolds Coliseum. It’s the first loss of the season for the No. 19 Tar Heels, who drop to 13-1 and 3-1 in ACC play.

The No. 5 Wolfpack blew the doors off almost immediately, outscoring Carolina 24-7 in the first quarter and asserting their dominance down low. Senior center Elissa Cunane, a candidate for national player of the year honors, led the Wolfpack with 19 points on 6-8 shooting. By contrast, UNC’s entire frontcourt managed just 15 points combined. Cunane also grabbed 13 rebounds on the night, four of which came on the offensive end. NC State out-rebounded Carolina 53-40. It’s just the third time in 14 games this season UNC has lost the rebounding battle.

The 45 points scored by Carolina is by far a season-low. The only offensive standout for the Tar Heels was sophomore guard Deja Kelly, who scored 21 points, though she needed 24 shots to do so. With that performance, Kelly did extend her double-digit points streak to 14 games on the season, but the positives for UNC just about end there. Sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby was the only other Tar Heel in double figures, with 12 points.

As a team, Carolina shot a paltry 15-65 (23.1 percent) from the floor, a season-low for a team which came into Thursday night averaging a 45.2 percent clip. The field goals made and field goal percentage are also both season-lows for the Tar Heels. UNC missed their last 10 shots and went the final 7:36 of the game without a make.

UNC’s relatively weak schedule had been a talking point when discussing the program’s 13-0 start, and its first ranked-against-ranked matchup provided a reality check for a team whose youth head coach Courtney Banghart has repeatedly harped upon this season. Four of Carolina’s five starters are sophomores, while NC State started four seniors and a junior.

Carolina will have plenty of chances to pick up more ranked wins, though. The ACC has established itself as one of the top conferences in women’s college basketball, with six teams in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The Tar Heels’ next opponent, Virginia Tech, is barely on the outside looking in, having received the 34th-most votes in the poll this past week. UNC will also take three more road trips before the end of January, with each one coming against a ranked foe. The Wolfpack will then visit Carmichael Arena on January 30.

 

Featured image via The News & Observer/Ethan Hyman

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