Recap: UNC women's basketball falls to Virginia Tech, drops second consecutive game

The North Carolina women’s basketball team (16-8, 7-6 ACC) lost back-to-back games for the first time this season after falling to Virginia Tech (17-6, 7-5 ACC) on Sunday, 72-63. The defeat moves the Tar Heels down to a tie for fifth place in the ACC standings. 

What happened?

The Tar Heels and Hokies played an evenly matched first 10 minutes, and were tied before junior Aisha Shepard hit a beautiful running layup to give Virginia Tech a 17-15 lead at the first quarter buzzer. 

That play fueled a Hokie run to extend the lead to seven. However, UNC senior Taylor Koenen provided an answer by scoring UNC’s first three buckets in the second quarter, cutting its deficit to two. 

North Carolina was able to tie the game back up at the 2:41 mark of the quarter,after senior Shayla Bennet made a fantastic tip pass to junior Janelle Bailey for the fastbreak layup. 

However, Virginia Tech got the lead back before the half, taking a 34-31 advantage into the locker room. 

The Hokies shot the ball well to start the third quarter, going up by nine to grab their largest of the game. The Tar Heels chipped away at their opponent's momentum, though, eventually retying the game with 32 seconds left in the third. 

Virginia Tech separated itself late in the fourth quarter, though, going up by 10 with 2:11 to play with a 3-pointer. UNC would cut it to five but got no closer, as the Hokies sank free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach and hand the Tar Heels the loss.

Who stood out?

Koenen got her third double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She helped keep her team from falling far behind in a game where they never seemed to be able to find their rhythm offensively. 

When was it decided?

It was a back-and-forth battle for most of the game, with each team making runs. Whenever North Carolina made a run, though, Virginia Tech always had a response. As a result, the Tar Heels never had a firm lead.

The Hokies most important run came in the final minutes of fourth quarter, giving them a comfortable enough lead to prevent UNC from coming back.

Why does it matter?

The Tar Heels' struggles continued after a sloppy 71-61 loss to rival Duke in Durham. They were looking for a better performance at home to keep pace in a tight ACC race. While their play improved, they were not able to shoot the ball well, going just 32 percent from the field and only 9 percent from the three-point line.

Sunday’s game was crucial for the conference standings, also, with Virginia Tech only one spot behind UNC. North Carolina was also looking to avenge a 76-70 to the Hokies in their previous matchup. Instead, Virginia Tech got just its second road win of the year. 

When do they play next?

North Carolina will host Syracuse on Thursday at 7 p.m. before they go on a pivotal three-game road trip as the regular season nears its end.

@ryanheller23

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com