Sunday’s regular season finale in Blacksburg saw the UNC women’s basketball team fight back from a 14-point halftime deficit to top Virginia Tech by a score of 68-63.
For the second straight game, freshman point guard Deja Kelly led the Tar Heels (13-9, 8-9 ACC) with exactly 22 points. Senior forward Janelle Bailey added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Stephanie Watts and Petra Holešínská chipped in 11 points apiece.
Although UNC held a slim lead through one quarter, Virginia Tech (13-8, 8-8 ACC) shot nearly 70 percent in the second quarter to build the big halftime advantage.
The Tar Heels erased that deficit rather quickly, though, cutting the deficit down to one point with a huge third quarter performance. Another strong showing in the fourth quarter then delivered UNC its first double-digit comeback win of the season.
“You could tell from the look on everybody’s faces, whether it was on the bench or on the floor, that we were going to get the job done,” Bailey said. “They were shooting lights out, but we locked in defensively in the second half and we made the right plays, knocked down shots. It was a total team win and I’m just so happy.”
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The win earns UNC the No. 8 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, where No. 9 seed Wake Forest awaits on Thursday.
Photo via Virginia Tech Athletics
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