The No. 18 UNC women’s basketball team completed a regular-season sweep of Virginia Thursday evening, riding a big first quarter to a win at Charlottesville and a 22-5 overall record heading into the season’s final weekend.
Final from Charlottesville ⤵️
The Tar Heels are 22-5 overall and 12-5 in ACC play heading into the regular-season finale at home Sunday against Duke 🏀#GoHeels x #InPursuit pic.twitter.com/eVgTQySpxf
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) February 25, 2022
Almost half of Carolina’s 68 points came in the first quarter: after 10 minutes, the Tar Heels led 30-11 and were shooting a scorching 65 percent from the floor. They would lead by as many as 21 points in the second quarter before holding off several Virginia attempts to rally in the second half.
“It’s fun so sit here and talk about the various ways that my team finds a way to win basketball games,” said head coach Courtney Banghart.
Deja Kelly, Kennedy Todd-Williams and Carlie Littlefield combined for 21 of UNC’s 30 points in the opening quarter on 9-10 shooting. Each would finish in double figures. Sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby contributed 15 points and seven rebounds, while fellow sophomore Anya Poole finished with eight points and a game-high 10 boards to punctuate a well-rounded performance from the starting five.
Though it was efficient offense which gave Carolina its initial advantage, the game would be won on the defensive end. The Tar Heels held Virginia under 20 points in each quarter, and amid UNC’s cold shooting of the second half (27.3 percent), the Cavaliers were never able to get closer than eight points. Carolina only managed 10 points in the final quarter, but held its lead due to Virginia making just two shots in the last five minutes. Quite important, since UNC made just two shots of its own in the entire quarter.
Outside of the first quarter, the Carolina defense may have been its best offense all night. UNC forced 23 Cavalier turnovers, 12 of them steals, which it converted into 29 points on the other end.
“We got stops when we needed them,” Banghart said. “Defense travels, and we proved it tonight.”
“I think we just stayed consistent with our energy,” said Kelly. “And that’s what got us the win.”
The win means Carolina finishes with a 5-4 ACC road record this season. It is the first time the Tar Heels have finished above .500 on the road in conference play since the 2013-14 season.
Combined with a Georgia Tech loss to Florida State Thursday night, this win also guarantees Carolina will finish no worse than fifth in the conference standings, which will be its highest finish since the 2013-14 season. The Tar Heels are still in play for a top four spot and a double-bye in next week’s ACC Tournament. UNC will need to beat Duke Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill and hope No. 3 NC State wins on the road at Virginia Tech later that day. A Hokies loss would mean the Tar Heels leapfrog ahead of them into fourth place.
But outside of the conference, UNC is still in the running as a possible host for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The latest projections have Carolina as a No. 5 seed. Only teams seeded No. 4 or higher will host tournament games.
“Our goal was never to come in and sweep Virginia,” Banghart said. “It was to win one game at a time and to continue to get better. And this is Senior Week, and it’s another opportunity to sweep. We got the first part of that, and now the second part’s coming up on Sunday. We’re kind of in that rhythm now.
“And we told them, ‘If you do that, and you focus on one at a time… I think you’ll like where you are at the end.'”
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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