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UNC Basketball: Women’s team wins season-opener against Aggies

By Blake Cockrum

Jan 19, 2021; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart watches the game against the Syracuse Orange in the second quarter at Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2021; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart watches the game against the Syracuse Orange in the second quarter at Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UNC women’s basketball program opened up the 2021-22 season with a win over the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Carmichael Arena on Tuesday night.

The North Carolina women’s basketball program won its home season-opener against North Carolina A&T on Tuesday night behind a balanced offensive attack that saw five Tar Heels score in double-figures en route to a 92-47 final.

Sophomore guard Alyssa Ustby and senior guard Carlie Littlefield each had 15 points for the Tar Heels, combining to shoot 12-for-18 from the floor and 3-for-4 from three-point range. Ustby had a team-high seven rebounds and two assists, while Littlefield notched a team-best five assists and four steals. Second-year guard Deja Kelly scored 13 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists. Fellow sophomore starter Kennedy Todd-Williams struggled through a 4-of-15 shooting night, but did score a dozen points and pulled down five rebounds.

As a whole, the Tar Heels’ shot incredibly well, particularly for the first game of the season. They did, however, commit 20 personal fouls and 18 turnovers, something that head coach Courtney Banghart will be looking to clean up in future games. She’ll also want her team to perform better at the free throw line, where they converted just 17-of-29 against the Aggies. On the other hand, they knocked down a spectacular 54 percent of their shots for the game, and 50 percent from beyond the arc.

The Aggies had a difficult night all around, as they hit just 18-of-50 shots (36 percent) overall, and 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) from long-range. They also struggled from the charity stripe, connecting on just nine of their 16 attempts. The statistic in their box score that will stick out more than any other, though, is their 36 turnovers. It’s nearly impossible to win any game with that many turnovers, and they more than negated the solid game that A&T got from Jazmin Harris — 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting and six rebounds.

The 1-0 Tar Heels will now prepare for a Sunday afternoon game against the Charlotte 49ers at the Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte.

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Stick with Keeping It Heel for coverage of that game, and the UNC women’s basketball team throughout the 2021-22 season.

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