UNC women's basketball extends winning streak to five with win over Presbyterian, 91-56

Thanks to balanced scoring and steady interior defense, the North Carolina women’s basketball team won its fifth game in a row, defeating Presbyterian, 91-56, on Tuesday night at Carmichael Arena.

What happened?

UNC (7-2) jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, but Presbyterian (1-7) rallied back thanks to a barrage of three-point attempts and seized a 13-11 lead after Mattie Kennedy knocked down an open three from the corner. 

The Tar Heels quickly righted the ship, closing the quarter with a 10-2 run to lead 21-15 after a quarter. UNC dominated the interior, as Presbyterian converted only one of its three shots inside the three-point line for the quarter.

North Carolina dominated the second quarter thanks to steady defense and some consistent scoring, taking a 47-26 lead into halftime. The Tar Heels held the Blue Hose without a made field goal until over halfway through the quarter, forcing eight turnovers and allowing just nine attempts for the quarter.

On offense, UNC shot over 50 percent for the first half, paced by Paris Kea with 14 and Janelle Bailey, who scored 11 points in the half. The Tar Heels also dominated their offensive glass, out-rebounding Presbyterian 5-3 on that side in the second quarter.

The Tar Heels maintained their momentum in the third quarter, closing the period on an 8-2 run to lead 67-41 after three. Kea stayed hot, knocking down three 3-pointers and dishing a pair of assists towards the end of the quarter.

UNC closed out its resounding 91-56 victory with more solid offense in the fourth, punctuated by Liz Roberts, who made a three for her first career field goal. 

Who stood out?

Kea led the Tar Heels’ offense in both points and assists, tallying 23 and seven, respectively. The redshirt junior, who entered the game third in the ACC with 19.5 points per game, hit a career-high five three pointers.

Bailey posed a match-up problem for the Blue Hose interior defense in the first half. The first-year, who has already earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors twice racked up 11 and six rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. 

When was it decided?

After a relatively even first quarter, the Tar Heels dominated the second, outscoring Presbyterian 26-11 and putting the game out of reach for the undersized Blue Hose. UNC stayed hot throughout, with its lead never falling below 17 points in the second half.

Why does it matter?

The win extended UNC’s winning streak to five, the Tar Heels’ longest since the 2015-16 season. 

After a sloppy, low-scoring win over Appalachian State on Sunday, UNC’s offense exploded on Tuesday night, as their 91 points marked a season-high. Four different Tar Heels scored double-digits in the win, and the team shot 56.4% for the game. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will stay at Carmichael Arena for their next game on Sunday, Dec. 10 against Furman at 2 p.m.

@BigJ_KMeyer

sports@dailytarheel.com