UNC women solid on the road as the Tar Heels storm past Duke at Cameron Indoor
North Carolina women’s basketball coach Courtney Banghart admitted that her team took on a bit of a passive personality during its three-game road losing streak. Against No. 21 Duke, the Heels’ plan was to come out swinging.
The Tar Heels (16-3, 6-3 ACC) landed a crushing blow in the second quarter, thanks to several Blue Devils (13-5, 4-4) turnovers that turned into transition baskets, and ran away to a 78-62 victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
“The previous kind of ranked opponents that we played, we got into the game and we were gonna like assess it, and then adjust to it as opposed to kind of throwing the punch,” Banghart said. “Our guys did a really great job throwing the punch.”
Carolina erased the problems that had plagued it during consecutive road losses at N.C. State, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. UNC combined for 50 turnovers in those three games. Against the Blue Devils, it only had two through the first three quarters and finished with a season-low six.
Banghart said she may have given her young team too much freedom against the Yellow Jackets, but she guided more of their actions against Duke.
“We asserted a little bit more leadership inside the lines throughout the possession,” Banghart said. “So we got kind of a first look and a second look that were more designed. And so that led to I think, a little more confidence. We’re probably a little bit too young to just kind of play.”
The Heels had three of their worst shooting performances in those three road losses — shooting a combined 29 percent from the field. But they torched Duke by shooting 54 percent in the first half — including going 12-for-16 in the second quarter — and finished at 45 percent.
Sophomore guard Alyssa Ustby led the way for the Heels, scoring a game-high 20 points for just the second time this season. Kennedy Todd-Williams chipped in 15 points, leading Banghart to declare that “She is back,” after a brief scoring slump.
That allowed UNC to overcome an off-shooting game from leading scorer Deja Kelly, who entered the game averaging 18.0 points in ACC play. Kelly missed her first five shots of the game and never got into a rhythm. Even when she did knock down a 3-pointer in the third quarter as the shot clock went off, it was later taken away when officials reviewed the replay. Kelly finished with seven points.
“Coach said before the game, throw the first punch and we took that to heart,” Utsby said. “We looked at our five starters when we start the game off, we start the tempo and that’s what we did. We set the game on a trajectory that we were in control of every possession offensively and defensively, we were being active, not reactive.”
Duke was forced into being reactive well before the Thursday night’s tipoff, when head coach Kara Lawson learned she’d be sidelined due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Assistant coach Winston Gandy was the acting head coach in her place.
Lawson lamented not having her full roster available to play or practice when she addressed the media on Wednesday. Second leading scorer Celeste Taylor missed her fifth straight game due to an injured shoulder.
Early foul trouble decimated the starting backcourt in the first half. Guard Vanessa De Jesus picked up two fouls six minutes into the game and would sit out the entire second quarter. Guard Elizabeth Balogun got second fouling Carlie Littlefield on a four-point play that gave UNC a 19-18 at the end of the first quarter.
Duke Guard Shayeann Day-Wilson picked up her second foul less than two minutes into the second quarter and would join de Jesus on the bench.
While that trio was benched, the Tar Heels ran away with the game.
Carolina converted eight Duke turnovers in the period into 15 points. When Todd-Williams drilled a jumper at the buzzer, the Heels took their biggest lead of the first half into halftime 47-26.
“What Carolina does well is get out in transition,” Gandy said. “We did a good job when we were able to play in the halfcourt, but live ball turnovers will get you every day of the week.”
Carolina now turns its attention to Sunday’s home game with N.C. State. The Wolfpack handily won the first meeting 72-45 on Jan. 6 in Raleigh. Banghart hopes the Heels can channel some of their aggressive play against Duke into the rematch with the Pack.
“The aggressiveness and the assertiveness that this young team needs they were able to do,” Banghart said. “They saw now what that looks like. They felt it and then we don’t have to recreate it. We can just you know, press rewind and play.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 9:22 PM with the headline "UNC women solid on the road as the Tar Heels storm past Duke at Cameron Indoor."