The UNC women’s basketball team let a hot start go to waste on the road against Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon, seeing a 12-point first half lead evaporate in a 66-61 loss.

“This is a really tough team to beat on the road,” head coach Courtney Banghart said afterward. “They love playing at home… and they’re playing really well right now. So we knew the challenge was gonna be big today.”

The Tar Heels dominated the opening quarter, using a 9-0 run to take a 21-9 lead into the second period. Sophomore guard Deja Kelly came out on fire, scoring 10 points in the first 10 minutes on 4-6 shooting. But Kelly’s touch would abandon her the rest of the way. In the final three quarters, she scored just seven points on 3-12 shooting.

Without Kelly’s scoring, the Carolina offense sputtered, and the Hokies took full advantage. Powered by four three-pointers, Virginia Tech outscored UNC 22-7 in the second quarter, with a 12-0 run turning a 26-19 deficit into a 31-26 lead. The Hokies had a clear edge from downtown, sinking 11 threes to just five for the Tar Heels.

“We missed a few assignments that we didn’t miss in Chapel Hill,” Banghart said, referencing UNC’s 71-46 win over the Hokies in January. “But also… we made them make huge shots.”

To Banghart’s point, many of Virginia Tech’s threes came at critical moments when it seemed the Tar Heels might steal momentum back. After a basket from sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby gave Carolina a 35-34 lead in the third quarter, a three from Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore kickstarted an 8-0 Hokies run. When Carlie Littlefield cut the lead down to three in the closing minutes of the quarter, back-to-back Virginia Tech threes extended it back to nine.

“There were a lot of tough shots made,” said Littlefield, who finished with 10 points.

Carolina kept threatening in the fourth quarter, but could never get the deficit under five points. A key three-point play from Hokies center Elizabeth Kitley with 1:20 remaining effectively served as the nail in the coffin.

Fouls were an issue for both teams, with each side committing 15. Four Tar Heels were saddled with three fouls each, including Ustby, who nevertheless secured her fourth straight double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Three Hokies also had three fouls.

“It was hard to get into a rhythm with some of the foul calls or non-foul calls,” Littlefield said. “But that’s kind of the reality of playing on the road.”

Banghart was a little more blunt.

“The physicality increased, and that created a dynamic that I’m not sure was actually basketball at times,” she said.

The Tar Heels will take this frustrating loss into a challenging home assignment next Thursday: a visit from No. 3 Louisville. The Cardinals are 21-2 on the season and 12-1 in conference play. But Carolina remains confident coming off Sunday’s performance.

“We know that we can fight in tough games,” Ustby said. “And if we play like we did tonight… we can beat anybody.”

 

Featured image via Virginia Tech Athletics

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