UNC Basketball: Deja Kelly, Tar Heels obliterate James Madison

Deja Kelly and the UNC women’s basketball program put on an offensive clinic against the James Madison Dukes on Sunday.

North Carolina sophomore guard Deja Kelly got off to a hot start through the Tar Heels’ first seven games of the season, and that didn’t change on Sunday afternoon when she took it to the James Madison Dukes in a 93-47 blowout at Carmichael Arena.

Kelly scored a game-high 21 points on a 7-for-15 shooting performance including 3-for-4 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the free throw line. She added five rebounds, three assists, two steals and committed just one turnover for the game. It was Kelly’s eighth consecutive double-digit scoring game to begin the season, and the third time in as many games that she’s led the Tar Heels in scoring.

Fellow sophomore guard Alyssa Ustby had a sensational game herself, scoring 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 2-of-2 at the foul line. She also recorded three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal and did it all without turning the ball over once. Anya Poole scored nine points and had a game-high 10 rebounds, while Kennedy Todd-Williams had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Tar Heels hit 37-of-69 shots for the game (53.6 percent), 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 (75 percent) at the charity stripe. They outrebounded the Dukes by 17 and assisted on 23 of their 37 made buckets. All 11 Tar Heels to get on the court on Sunday got into the scoring column. Courtney Banghart’s squad is now 8-0 on the season, and hasn’t won a game this season by less than 13 points.

James Madison was led by Jamia Hazell’s team-high 20 points. She was the only member of the Dukes to score in double-figures. Her team struggled from beginning to end, hitting just 19-of-68 (27.9 percent) shots for the game and a jaw-dropping 1-of-25 (4 percent) from long-range. The loss drops the Dukes to 3-5 on the season.

The Tar Heels now prepare for a home game against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs next Sunday. Check back with Keeping It Heel for coverage of that game, and everything on the UNC women’s basketball program.