UNC Basketball: Deja Kelly earns ACC Player of the Week

UNC women’s basketball standout Deja Kelly earned ACC Player of the Week honors following outstanding performances against Louisville and Florida State.

North Carolina sophomore guard Deja Kelly has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. It’s Kelly’s first conference Player of the Week honor, though she was recognized twice last season as the ACC Freshman of the Week.

Kelly was outstanding in a week that the Tar Heels won both of their games, a home contest against third-ranked Louisville and a road matchup with the Florida State Seminoles. She averaged 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the pair of games, a stretch that helped the Tar Heels move up from 24th to 18th in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday morning.

In a 66-65 upset victory over the two-loss Cardinals, Kelly scored 18 points on a 6-for-12 shooting performance that included 2-for-5 from three-point range and 4-for-6 at the free throw line. She also pulled down four rebounds and came up with three steals in a game-high 38 minutes of play.

Three days later, Kelly notched a game-high 26 points on a 9-of-15 shooting night in a 64-49 win against the Seminoles. She hit 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and all six of her free throw attempts to go along with five assists, four rebounds and a steal while playing all 40 minutes of the game. It was her second time this season logging 40 minutes in a game and the third of her career.

For the season, Kelly is averaging 16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting better than 37 percent from three-point range. She’s recorded 20 or more points on six occasions this season and leads the ACC in free throw shooting at a stellar 86.3 percent.

Kelly will be back out on the court on Thursday night when the Tar Heels take on the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville.

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