UNC Basketball: Tar Heel women obliterate Syracuse for second ACC win

The UNC women’s basketball program won its second conference game of the season on Thursday, beating the Syracuse Orange by 36 points at Carmichael Arena.

The North Carolina Tar Heels remain undefeated on the season at 12 wins and zero losses, that after an absolute beatdown of the Syracuse Orange at Carmichael Arena on Thursday afternoon. Courtney Banghart’s squad saw five players notch double-digit points in the 79-43 victory, led by 12 points apiece from sophomore guards Alyssa Ustby and Deja Kelly.

Ustby was approaching triple-double territory with her 14-rebound, six-assist performance, showcasing once against the kind of skill and versatility she has on both ends of the court. Although she struggled shooting the ball on Thursday — 5-for-14 from the floor — her impact was still evident in her 26 minutes on the court.

Kelly struggled similarly with her shot against the Orange, connecting on just 5-of-16 shots overall and 1-of-6 from three-point range, but she was effective in a number of other ways. She pulled down five rebounds to go with one assist, two steals and two blocks. North Carolina also got 11 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Anya Poole, as well as 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals from junior reserve Eva Hodgson.

The Tar Heels shot just 39.5 percent (32-for-81) for the game and 16 percent (4-for-25) from long-range. They also missed 10 of their 21 free throw attempts and turned the ball over a dozen times. Luckily for the Tar Heels, though, the Orange shot worse (21.1 percent) and committed more turnovers (23). North Carolina also held a 63-37 rebounding advantage — 26-9 on the offensive end of the court — and continually benefitted from second-chance opportunities as a result.

Syracuse’s top three scorers on the day combined for just 30 points on a miserable 9-for-34 shooting performance. As a team, they hit just 12 total shots from the floor, with no one player accounting for more than three. The Orange fall to 8-5 overall with the loss, and 1-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

We’ll be back with more coverage of the UNC women’s basketball program on Sunday evening when they take on the Clemson Tigers at Carmichael Arena.