The UNC women’s basketball team got its fans a nice gift for Christmas. Back in front of a home crowd in Carmichael Arena, the Tar Heels blew out Alabama State Tuesday afternoon, winning 83-47 for the team’s 11th straight victory to open the season.

The 11-0 start is the team’s best since the 2010-11 season, and the 11-game winning streak is the longest since the 2012-13 campaign.

After struggling for much of Sunday’s game at Boston College, the Tar Heels left nothing to chance Tuesday, outscoring the visiting Hornets 24-5 in the first quarter. Fresh off her game-winning jumper against the Eagles, sophomore guard Deja Kelly took charge in the game’s first 10 minutes, scoring 10 points and not missing a shot from the field or the free throw line in the quarter. The efficient stretch of play from Kelly ensured the guard’s double-digit points streak would extend to an 11th consecutive game.

Kelly was one of four Tar Heels to score 10 or more points Tuesday, with Kennedy Todd-Williams, Anya Poole and Eva Hodgson joining the fun. Hodgson’s 14-point effort comes on the heels of a 15-point performance against Boston College, which drives her season average up to 11.2 points per game. She is one of four Tar Heels, along with Kelly, Alyssa Ustby and Carlie Littlefield, averaging double figures this season.

It was another sparkling performance from Carolina’s defense, with the team holding its opponent under 50 points for the eighth time in 11 games this season. The Tar Heels are allowing just 50.4 points per game, good for No. 12 in the nation. The Hornets shot a paltry 18-67 (26.7 percent) from the field Tuesday, with just one player shooting over 50 percent. Only five of the Hornets’ 12 players who saw the floor scored a point.

UNC’s offense was just the opposite, with 10 of 11 players getting on the score sheet. The Tar Heels’ 83 points scored is right on their season average, which ranks No. 7 nationally.

Carolina, one of just seven unbeaten sides remaining in Division I women’s college basketball, will now take its 11-0 record into the Christmas holiday break. Head coach Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels won’t see the floor again until December 30, when a home matchup with Syracuse begins ACC play in earnest.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Basketball Announces 2025-26 ACC Schedule
The ACC announced the full 2025-26 conference schedule for all women’s basketball programs Tuesday afternoon. As was the case during the 2024-25 season, UNC will play 18 conference games, facing 16 teams once and rival Duke twice. Been waiting on this one… The ACC schedule is 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀! pic.twitter.com/EKw7G5eVCY — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) September 2, […]
UNC Women's Basketball's Kayla McPherson Announces Retirement Following Knee Injuries
Guard Kayla McPherson of the UNC women’s basketball program officially announced her retirement from basketball Tuesday, citing multiple knee injuries and long recovery periods. The redshirt senior will remain with the team as a student assistant. 11 Out 🩵 pic.twitter.com/hfHxsvKE52 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 26, 2025 A McDonald’s All-American at Madison County High […]
5-Star Prospect Kate Harpring Commits to UNC Women's Basketball
Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels may have just won their biggest recruiting battle ever. Point guard Kate Harpring, a five-star prospect from Atlanta ranked among the top five players in the 2026 recruiting class on every major board, committed to Banghart and UNC Saturday. Go Tar Heels!! 🩵🩵#committed pic.twitter.com/RbzpiYqJOZ — Kate Harpring (@Kate_Harpring26) August […]
UNC Women's Basketball Announces Full 2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule
The UNC women’s basketball team announced its full slate of non-conference games for the 2025-26 regular season Tuesday morning. The wait is over… Our Non-Conference schedule is 𝙎𝙀𝙏 📅 pic.twitter.com/8fp72vNR9Q — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) August 5, 2025 UNC begins with a preseason exhibition game against 2025 national runners-up South Carolina in Atlanta on October […]
UNC Women's Basketball to Compete in WBCA Challenge in Las Vegas
Head coach Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels are heading out west early in the 2025-26 season. UNC will compete in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Challenge in Las Vegas this coming November, facing UCLA and Fairfield. The games will be played at Michelob ULTRA Arena, home of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, with […]
Courtney Banghart Praises UNC's Newcomers, Deeper Roster: 'Our Offense Will Be Quite Different'
Less than four months before her team opens up its 2025-26 season, UNC women’s basketball head coach Courtney Banghart is already forecasting the group as one of the deepest and most competitive rosters she’s ever assembled. “I would be very surprised if our rotation was anywhere near as tight as it has been,” Banghart told […]
UNC Women's Basketball to Face South Carolina in Preseason Exhibition
The UNC women’s basketball team will face South Carolina in a preseason exhibition game in Atlanta on Thursday, October 30. The game will be played in State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. See you in the ATL 👋 pic.twitter.com/DmpCp88lIG — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) July 29, 2025 South Carolina has won the […]
UNC Women's Basketball to Play in 2025 Cancun Challenge
UNC will join three other programs to play in the 2025 Cancun Challenge in Mexico this November. The Tar Heels will be joined by Columbia, Kansas State and South Dakota State south of the border as part of the challenge’s Mayan Tournament. Break out the passports – The Heels are heading to Cancun! pic.twitter.com/WibQ1gWw26 — […]
Check Out the Complete Schedule for UNC's 'ACC Network Takeover' July 8
The ACC Network will feature 24 hours of Tar Heel highlights from the 2024-25 athletic year Tuesday as part of its annual “ACC Network Takeover.” Programming begins at midnight and lasts through 11:59 p.m. Featured games include the women’s basketball team’s win against No. 10 NC State at Carmichael Arena back in February. Those who […]
Report: Russian Prospect Elizaveta Astakhova Commits to UNC Women's Basketball
According to a report from On3’s Talia Goodman, Elizaveta Astakhova, a six-foot-one wing who spent the 2024-25 basketball season playing professionally in Russia, committed to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC Tuesday afternoon. NEWS: Russian 2025 prospect Elizaveta Astakhova has committed to North Carolina, her agents Tequan Dean and Alex Karavanen told @On3sports. The 6-1 […]
›