No. 12 UNC women's basketball utilizes depth down the stretch in win over Virginia Tech

Reniya Kelly played too many minutes. 

At least that’s what head coach Courtney Banghart thinks. 

"She gets to a point where she honestly just needs a rest," Banghart said. 

In No. 12 UNC women’s basketball’s close win over Virginia Tech on Thursday, the sophomore guard played 34 minutes, seven more than her average. Kelly’s game-high 13 first-half points carried the Tar Heels to an 11-point lead in the first half. But after halftime, when Virginia Tech mounted a comeback and Kelly needed to rest, it was the contributions of key bench players that pushed North Carolina to the 67-62 win. 

“Look at the scoring and the assisting; this is a complete basketball team, and they all have to bring their piece,” Banghart said. “I thought we were okay in the first half today.” 

In the second quarter, only three Tar Heels scored. Kelly had more points (7) than all of her teammates combined (6). But in the third quarter, she tallied her fewest minutes of the game and her only points came from two free throws. 

By the start of the fourth, the Hokies had neutralized Kelly’s first-half heroism. Partly due to poor shooting — the Tar Heels made just six field goals in the third quarter — but also an effort by Virginia Tech to minimize Kelly. 

“She had a great first half,” Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy said. “We just tried to change up a little bit of ball screen coverage. Once she gets going, she's good.”

North Carolina’s offense this season has been characterized by an ensemble of scorers and bench contributions. Leading scorer, graduate forward Alyssa Ustby, averages just over 11 points a game. Hero ball is not in UNC’s playbook. 

Facing a close game and Virginia Tech getting hot, the Tar Heel offense needed to return to form. 

That’s where graduate guard Grace Townsend and first-year guard Lanie Grant came into play. 

In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech managed to grab a four-point lead after trailing for most of the game. Off the inbound, Kelly missed a jumper, but Ustby grabbed the offensive rebound and Townsend put back the second-chance layup. 

Minutes later, with the game tied, Ustby grabbed another board, this time defensive, and Townsend laid in the ball on the fast break to take the lead. UNC never trailed again.  

With a minute left and the game again tied, Kelly took a charge from a driving Hokie. By that point, she had played almost the entire quarter. 

“I twisted my ankle,” Kelly said. “I just needed to come out for a second to get myself together.”

Kelly subbed out, and Grant replaced her to take the free throws. She missed the first, but the second went in.

It was Grant’s only point of the quarter, but it gave North Carolina what proved to be the winning bucket to go ahead, 63-62, as Virginia Tech didn’t score again. 

Kelly wasn’t completely neutralized. She made a crucial 3-pointer, UNC’s only of the half, with four minutes remaining. 

But with the Hokies’ efforts to counteract her speed and Kelly’s own physical limitations, the Tar Heels were saved by their back-up guards. 

"Our bench, they know when they're needed," Banghart said. "They've got to be what these guys can't be in that moment."

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