The Courtney Banghart Era may have its signature win. Fans of the UNC women’s basketball team hope it’s the first of many more to come.
The Tar Heels used an offensive firestorm in the second quarter to blow the doors off Cameron Indoor Stadium Thursday night, and walked away with a 78-62 blowout victory, the team’s first win over Duke in Durham since 2014.
That's a FINAL ⤵️#GoHeels x #BeatDuke @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/AQpywX613f
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 28, 2022
“This Duke-Carolina rivalry means a lot to a lot of people,” said head coach Courtney Banghart after the game. “Especially those involved in it. We have great pride [that] we get to bring home a win on the road.”
The game was a tight one through the first 10 minutes, before one of the key moments of the evening. With the Tar Heels trailing 18-15, Eva Hodgson found graduate guard Carlie Littlefield behind the three-point line. Littlefield knocked down the three and drew a foul in the process as the first quarter buzzer sounded. With the additional free throw, Littlefield gave Carolina a 19-18 lead heading into the second period.
UNC had all the momentum it would need. The second 10 minutes proved to be Carolina’s best of the season, as the Tar Heels torched the nets to the tune of a 75.0 shooting percentage. Sophomore guards Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams combined for 14 points in the quarter, with Todd-Williams not missing a shot from the field. She punctuated the quarter with a two-point jumper as the first half buzzer sounded, giving Carolina a 47-26 lead at the break. The Tar Heels outscored the Blue Devils 28-8 in the quarter.
“We really worked on offense over the last two days,” Banghart said. “I couldn’t be prouder for them. It was really fun to be their coach tonight.”
Todd-Williams would finish with 15 points on the evening, marking the fourth straight game the sophomore has recorded double-figure scoring outputs. The game also saw sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby reassert herself on the offensive end. She scored 20 points on 9-15 shooting against the Blue Devils, after putting up just 13 points combined in Carolina’s previous two games. She currently ranks second on the team at 13.5 points per game, trailing only Kelly.
“They were exceptional tonight,” Banghart said of Todd-Williams and Ustby. “When they do what they do that well, we’re a really, really good team.”
And while “Toddy,” as her head coach calls her, outscoring the team’s leading scorer, Kelly (seven points) for the second straight game may raise some eyebrows, it didn’t surprise Toddy.
“It’s organic,” she said of her scoring ability. “This is nothing new.”
The Carolina defense was just as productive as the offense. The Tar Heels forced 18 Blue Devil turnovers (UNC committed only six), which turned into 27 points. After three quarters, Duke was shooting just 14-45 (31 percent) from the field, and Carolina held a 61-38 lead.
The win snaps Carolina’s five-game losing streak against the Blue Devils. Duke had won 13 of the last 14 over the Tar Heels coming into Thursday night. It is also the program’s first ranked win on the road since February of 2019. That win came against No. 7 NC State, who will visit Chapel Hill this Sunday afternoon. The Wolfpack blitzed Carolina earlier this season in a 72-45 rout, in which NC State outscored the Tar Heels 24-7 in the first quarter. It seems the team took a lesson from the humbling defeat.
“Coach said before the game, ‘Throw the first punch,’ Ustby said. “And we took that to heart.”
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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