UNC Basketball: Banghart, Tar Heels win first game of 2020-21 season

Courtney Banghart and the UNC women’s basketball program won their first game of the season on Wednesday afternoon, topping the Radford Highlanders at Carmichael Arena.

Courtney Banghart and the North Carolina Tar Heels won their first game of the 2020-21 season behind a game-high 19 points from freshman guard Deja Kelly. Kelly shot 7-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-6 from behind the three-point line in the Tar Heels’ 90-61 season-opening victory over the Radford Highlanders.

Kelly also knocked down 3-of-4 attempts from the free throw line, while adding four rebounds, three assists and a steal in her first collegiate basketball game. Newcomer Petra Holešínská scored 14 points on a 5-for-12 performance from the floor, and connected on 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Kennedy Todd-Williams added 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists for North Carolina, and senior center Janelle Bailey scored 10.

https://twitter.com/uncwbb/status/1331688893964451841

The Tar Heels hit just under 42 percent of their shots as a team, but only 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from three-point range. They also missed 10 of their 28 free throw attempts, but made up for it with a plus-25 rebound margin, five less turnovers and 10 fewer player fouls.

The Highlanders were led by Tina Lindenfeld, who scored a team-high 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting and 3-of-7 from long-range. Three other Radford players scored in double-figures, but the team shot just 31.7 percent for the game. They struggled to take care of the basketball, too, committing 15 turnovers. And despite the Tar Heels’ inefficiency from the free throw line, the Highlanders’ 23 fouls as a team sent UNC to the charity stripe 28 times.

The 1-0 Tar Heels will play UNC-Greensboro in a Saturday afternoon game at Carmichael Arena. Stick with Keeping It Heel for coverage of that, and all the latest on the UNC women’s basketball program.