March Madness: Tar Heel women pass tough test against Stephen F Austin

March Madness is in full swing, as the UNC women’s basketball team beat the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks in a tightly-contested Round of 64 battle.

Deja Kelly scored a game-high 28 points and the North Carolina Tar Heels beat the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks by a final score of 79-66 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Kelly was solid all game long, but put together an outstanding second half that helped the Tar Heels turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 13-point victory. She hit 8-of-15 shots for the game, 4-of-7 from three-point range, and 8-of-8 at the free throw line. She added five rebounds and four assists en route to one of her best performances of the season.

Kennedy Todd-Williams added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Alyssa Ustby and Carlie Littlefield each added 13 points and combined for 17 rebounds. Eva Hodgson contributed 10 points off the UNC bench.

The Tar Heels shot 46.4 percent (26-for-56) for the game, 39.1 percent (9-for-23) beyond the arc, and 78.3 percent (18-for-23) at the foul line. They outrebounded the Ladyjacks by two (40-38), assisted on 16 of their 26 made buckets, and won by double-digits despite committing 16 turnovers.

Stephen F. Austin was led by 26 points from Zya Nugent, who connected on 7-for-17 shots from the floor and 5-for-10 from long-range. Aiyana Johnson was the only other SFA player to score in double-digits; she gave the Ladyjacks 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

North Carolina, now 24-6 on the season, will be back on the court Monday night to play the winner of the Arizona/UNLV game.

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