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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels stumble at Virginia Tech

By Blake Cockrum

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Rameses, the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot, is seen as they take on the Iona Gaels during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 22: Rameses, the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot, is seen as they take on the Iona Gaels during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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The UNC women’s basketball program fell behind early at Virginia Tech and never recovered, dropping their first conference game of the season

It was a difficult weekend for the UNC basketball program, as both the men’s and women’s teams dropped conference games in consecutive nights. After a disappointing home loss for Roy Williams and his team on Saturday night, first-year UNC head coach Courtney Banghart and company lost their first conference game of the season at Virginia Tech on Sunday evening.

Virginia Tech’s Aisha Sheppard and Trinity Baptiste scored a team-high 16 points a piece on a combined 13-for-26 shooting performance. Dara Mabrey added 15 points, and Lydia Rivers had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Hokies (11-3, 1-2). The Hokies shot 44.3 percent from the floor, and 36.4 percent from the three-point line.

North Carolina’s Shayla Bennett scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor, and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. She added eight rebounds, two assists and a steal while playing all 40 minutes of the game.

UNC senior guard Taylor Koenen scored 15 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists, while Malu Tshitenge added 12. Madinah Muhammad was the fifth of five Tar Heels to score in double-figures for the game; she had 10 points. Janelle Bailey had an uncharacteristically bad game with just seven points and nine rebounds. She only attempted six shots in 32 minutes of play.

The Tar Heels shot just under 39 percent for the game, and hit just five of their 23 three-point attempts. They fell to 11-3 on the season, and 2-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. They’ll look to regroup at home against NC State on January 9.

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