The No. 13 UNC women’s basketball team improved to 4-0 for the fourth consecutive season under head coach Courtney Banghart Sunday afternoon, winning at James Madison 76-65.
Carolina trailed by four points at halftime and shot just 26.7 percent in an ugly second quarter, but used strong second-half performances from Eva Hodgson and Deja Kelly to pull away from the Dukes. Hodgson drilled three three-pointers and scored nine of her 18 total points in the third quarter, helping Carolina erase the four-point deficit and lead by three going into the fourth.
Kelly, who until then had scored just nine points, exploded for 13 in the final period (seven of which came on free throws), helping Carolina ice the victory. James Madison made it interesting, cutting an 11-point Tar Heel lead down to five with 2:12 left, but UNC scored the final six points of the game and held the Dukes to just 32.3 percent shooting in the second half.
The women’s team, like the men, will now travel to Oregon to participate in the Phil Knight Invitational over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Tar Heels will meet their stiffest competition of the young season out west, taking on No. 21 Oregon in the first game of the event on Thursday. The winner of that game will take on the winner of Michigan State and No. 7 Iowa State on the following Sunday.
Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter
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