The cold of a December evening in Minnesota did nothing to cool down the UNC women’s basketball team’s hot start.

Carolina fought through a tough Golden Gophers side Wednesday night, using a terrific homecoming performance from sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby to take an 82-76 victory and move to 7-0 this season.

 

Ustby, who went to high school just down the road from Minneapolis in Rochester, MN, posted her fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She scored 15 of those points in the first half, equaling the highest individual output by a Tar Heel in a single half this season.

In a change from Carolina’s wins in the Goombay Splash event, Banghart used a tight rotation against the Gophers, playing only seven players during the game. Six of those players logged 27 or more minutes, all of whom scored in double figures.

Sophomore guard Deja Kelly knocked in 15 points, and earned herself a lifetime highlight at the end of the third quarter. Minnesota had erased a 12-point first half lead for Carolina to even the score at 55-55 with just seconds to go. Kelly received a pass from teammate Anya Poole with three seconds remaining in the period and sprinted up the floor. Just before the clock expired, Kelly flung a three-quarter court shot toward the basket. It went straight in as the buzzer sounded, giving UNC a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and stealing momentum back from the Gophers.

Minnesota wouldn’t get that close to the Tar Heels again, with clutch baskets from sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams holding off the hosts down the stretch. Todd-Williams finished with 11 points on 4-8 shooting.

The win is UNC’s fifth away from Carmichael Arena this season, and their third in a true road environment. Their next matchup will come back within the friendly confines of Chapel Hill, when James Madison visits on Sunday afternoon.

“When I knew that we had five of our first seven on the road, with three against Power 5 teams, I didn’t know where we’d be,” Banghart said. “I like where we are… It was one of those games that we didn’t finish well, we didn’t shoot well and every time we got a lead they bounced back and gave us some good fight. It was just a really gritty effort.”

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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