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UNC Basketball: Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby named to All-ACC teams

By Blake Cockrum

Dec 30, 2019; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Ramses the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot performs on the court before the North Carolina Tar Heels play the Yale Bulldogs at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2019; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Ramses the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot performs on the court before the North Carolina Tar Heels play the Yale Bulldogs at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports /
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A pair of UNC women’s basketball players were named to All-ACC teams on Tuesday.

Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby have both been named to All-ACC teams for their outstanding contributions to the 16th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels that completed the season sweep of Duke on Sunday and earned a double-bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

Kelly, originally from San Antonio, Texas, was selected to the 10-member first team following a season in which she led the Tar Heels in scoring at 15.8 points per game. Kelly notched double-digit points in 24 of her team’s 28 games during her standout sophomore campaign, while adding 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists and shooting better than 35 percent from three-point range.

A member of the ACC All-Freshman Team last year, Kelly improved in a number of statistical categories from a season ago including points, rebounds, steals, blocks, shooting percentage, three-point shooting percentage and free throw percentage. She finished this season with the ACC’s sixth-highest points per game, 14th-best shooting percentage and No. 1 at the free throw line.

"“I’m so happy for Deja to be recognized as one of the league’s most consistently impactful players,” UNC head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Deja has grown in every statistical category from a year ago, on both sides of the ball and on the glass. She loves the game and is committed to the growth process. She has been a critical piece to our success this season.”"

Ustby, one of five players selected to the All-ACC second team, was the Tar Heels’ second-leading scorer this season at 13.1 points per game. She led the team in rebounding at 8.6 boards per game. She recorded 12 double-doubles this season — good for third in the ACC — and pulled down at least a dozen rebounds on seven occasions. She had a season-high 16 rebounds in a win over TCU in November.

A sophomore from Rochester, Minnesota, Ustby finished the 2021-22 regular season as the ACC’s fourth-best rebounder and carried the league’s eighth-highest shooting percentage. She was also ninth in the conference in steals with 47 (1.7 per game).

"“Alyssa’s motor is special,” Banghart said. “She is relentless on both ends of the floor. She can defend five positions and can score all over the floor. She has made a huge jump in her game since her freshman season – she is a better ballhandler, a better shooter, and a more complete player. Alyssa puts in the work and she was rightly recognized as one of the league’s best.”"

You can find a complete list of Atlantic Coast Conference award recipients here.

Next. Tar Heels win thriller to keep tournament hopes alive. dark

Check back with Keeping It Heel for more on Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby, as well as all the latest news, views and recruiting updates on the UNC women’s basketball program.

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