No. 5 NC State Blitzes No. 19 UNC Women’s Basketball; Tar Heels Take First Loss
NC State proved why they are considered a contender for the women's basketball national championship on Thursday night, roaring before UNC to take an emphatic 72-45 victory at Reynolds Coliseum. It was the first loss of the season for the No. 19 Tar Heels, who fell 13–1 and 3–1 in ACC play.
Final from Raleigh tonight ⤵️
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 7, 2022
Back to work to get ready to host Virginia Tech on Sunday #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/oxmlXjVCt3
5 Wolfpack closed the doors almost immediately and reduced his dominance, outscoring Carolina 24-7 in the first quarter. Senior center Alyssa Kunane, a candidate for National Player of the Year honors, led the Wolfpack with 6-8 points on 19 shootings. In contrast, UNC's entire frontcourt combined managed only 15 points. Kunane also scored 13 rebounds on the night, four of which came off the offensive end. NC State trailed Carolina 53-40. This is only the third time in 14 matches this season that UNC has lost a comeback fight.
The 45 points scored by Carolina are season-low so far. The only offensive standout for the Tar Heels was guard Deja Kelly, who scored 21 points, although he needed 24 shots to do so. With that performance, Kelly extended his double-digit streak to 14 games in the season, but that's where the positivity ended for UNC. Sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby was the only other Tar Heel in double digits with 12 points.
As a team, Carolina shot a modest 15-65 (23.1 percent) off the floor, a season-low for a team that averaged a 45.2 percent clip on Thursday night. Field goals scored and field goal percentages for the Tar Heels are also both season-low. UNC lost their last 10 shots and went into the final 7:36 of the game without a change.
UNC's relatively weak schedule was the subject of discussion when discussing the program's 13–0 start, and its first-ranked-ranking matchup provided a reality check for a team whose youthful head coach Courtney Banghart played this season. I have repeatedly given the veena. Four of Carolina's five starters are sophomores, while NC State has started four seniors and one junior.
However, Carolina will have plenty of chances to get a higher ranked win. The ACC has established itself as one of the top conferences in women's college basketball with six teams in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The Tar Heels' next rival, Virginia Tech, is barely looking on the outside, having received the 34th-most votes in this poll last week. UNC will also undertake three more road trips before the end of January, each against a ranked enemy. Wolfpack will then visit Carmichael Arena on January 30.
