UNC Women’s Basketball continues undefeated season, beats UNC Asheville 107-46

Five Tar Heels finish in double figures as North Carolina women's basketball takes down UNC Asheville 107-46 to improve to 9-0 on the season.

What happened?

UNC got out to a great start, as eleven points from graduate guard Carlie Littlefield gave North Carolina a 27-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Tar Heels continued their smothering defense in the second quarter, only allowing seven points. On the offensive end, sophomores Alyssa Ustby and Anya Poole were leading the charge, combining for eleven points to put UNC up 53-17 at halftime.

North Carolina stormed out of halftime with 31 third quarter points. This time, it was sophomore guard Deja Kelly running the show with eight points, and the defense was much of the same from the first half, allowing just nine points.

With three baskets from junior forward Malu Tshitenge, the Tar Heels balanced attack finished off the job in the fourth quarter to ultimately win 107-46 to continue their undefeated season.

Who stood out? 

Ustby had another great offensive performance with an efficient 19 points, making nine out of her eleven shots. She filled the rest of the stat sheet with four assists, three blocks and four steals while grabbing 14 rebounds for her fifth double double of the season, proving her worth on both ends of the floor.

Kelly also poured in 19 points on 7/14 shooting, making her 16.7 points per game first on the team.

Littlefield, Poole and Kennedy Todd-Williams scored in double figures as well, each shooting above 50 percent to do so. Littlefield and Todd-Williams also cashed in seven three-pointers, a huge part in the Tar Heels success tonight.

When was it decided?

North Carolina came storming out of the gates to get out to an early 17-point lead in the first quarter. A big reason for that was their three-point shooting, as they made four in the quarter.

This excellent perimeter shooting carried on throughout the game as UNC finished 11/20 from beyond the arc.

The Tar Heels defense was arguably even better than their offense, only allowing the Bulldogs to score 26 points in the first three quarters. This strong performance on both ends of the floor through the first three quarters gave North Carolina a massive cushion heading into the fourth quarter, making the game all but over.

Why does it matter?

UNC improved to 9-0 on the season, inching closer to cracking the top-25 rankings. Not only that, but another blowout win shows the firepower of head coach Courtney Banghart’s squad.

She has scorers all over the court, with four players averaging more than ten points per game. Furthermore, her team shoots 41 percent from behind the arc, making them one of the best three point shooting teams in the country.

Banghart’s team also plays great team defense, only allowing 48.3 points per game, lining up with the 46 points they gave up today. With ACC play just a week away, fans can be very encouraged with this team’s performance offensively and defensively as tougher competition is on the horizon.

When do they play next?

UNC is back in action at Carmichael Arena on January 15th as they host Jacksonville at 6 p.m.

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