The No. 14 UNC women’s basketball squad (17-7, 8-5) dropped their fifth true road game of the season against Syracuse (16-9, 7-7) with a final score of 67-75.
What happened?
The Tar Heels got on the board first thanks to a jump shot from junior guard Kennedy Todd-Williams. After Syracuse answered with a three-point jumper, North Carolina went on an 8-0 run to expand their lead to 10-3 which forced the Orange to call their first timeout of the game. After Syracuse left the huddle, it appeared a switch had flipped. The Tar Heels endured a nearly four minute scoring drought, but finally found the bottom of the net as junior guard Deja Kelly hit her go-to midrange jumper to reclaim a 12-11 lead. The Orange continued to be aggressive on the defensive end and UNC went into the first break trailing 14-16.
Syracuse capitalized off their momentum early in the second quarter, as the Orange hit a three-point jumper as the shot clock was winding down to expand their lead to five. In a similar fashion, Kelly converted on a three-point jumper on the other end of the floor. Both teams continued to push the pace and succeed from behind the arc, and none other than Kelly tied the game at 22 with six minutes left in the first half. The Tar Heels did not take their foot off the gas and went into the locker room with a 34-32 lead.
The Orange struck first in the second half with an easy layup off of a UNC turnover. However, North Carolina continued with the theme of three-point shooting success and got their first points of the half with a three-point jumper from Todd-Williams. After this bucket, however, the Tar Heels faced a nearly three minute scoring drought which led Syracuse to go on a ten point run to take a seven point lead and force a UNC timeout. Their struggles continued and went into the final break facing a 48-63 deficit after only scoring 10 points in the third quarter.
The final quarter was the same story for UNC. Successful shooting from Syracuse and shooting difficulties from North Carolina kept the Tar Heels in a hole. The Tar Heels seemed to find a sliver of momentum after a jump shot from Kelly and a fast-break layup from Todd-Williams, but that run was quickly ended with another Syracuse three-pointer. The Tar Heels went on a late scoring spurt but it was not enough as the Orange handed them their fifth ACC loss of the season.
Who stood out?
Kelly had an exceptional game, racking up a career high 32 points and shooting 52% from the floor; however, only 13 of those points came in the second half. The Tar Heels also had success forcing turnovers early which led to a multitude of fast break opportunities. North Carolina shot the ball well, but it was not a match for the Orange’s 45% clip from behind the arc.
