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UNC Women’s Basketball battles for win over No. 18 Oregon

By Nick Delahanty

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 25: Victaria Saxton #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks is guarded by Kennedy Todd-Williams #3 and Eva Hodgson #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 Round at Greensboro Coliseum Complex on March 25, 2022 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Gamecocks won 69-61. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 25: Victaria Saxton #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks is guarded by Kennedy Todd-Williams #3 and Eva Hodgson #10 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 Round at Greensboro Coliseum Complex on March 25, 2022 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Gamecocks won 69-61. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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Another career day from Eva Hodgson helped the UNC women’s basketball program battle back for a huge victory over No. 18 ranked Oregon. 

The beginning of the Phil Knight Invitational opener against No. 18 Oregon didn’t go as Courtney Banghart and the UNC women’s basketball program planned.

Right away, the Tar Heels found themselves down 7-0 in the first quarter, as they would battle back to cut the deficit.

This became a trend throughout the game, as North Carolina had to battle back on multiple occasions to secure the victory.

The Tar Heels held the lead just once in the first half, as they faced a five-point deficit heading into the second half. A strong third quarter helped them regain the lead, as a Paulina Paris buzzer-beater gave North Carolina the first lead of the half.

However, it wouldn’t last long, as Oregon got hot to start the fourth quarter. It appeared as if the Ducks were ready to run away with this one, but the Tar Heels had other plans.

Behind a stellar second-half outing from Eva Hodgson, North Carolina found a way to not only fight back into the game but take full control of it. After scoring just four points over the first 20 minutes of play, Hodgson scored 17 second-half points en route to a new career-high 21 points.

Hodgson made five shots from the floor, all from beyond the arc. The four-point play (as seen above) ended up being a major turning point in the game’s outcome.

Alyssa Ustby was just as important in the win, as she scored 19 points while hauling in eight rebounds. Classmate Deja Kelly scored 17 points and facilitated the Tar Heels’ offense nicely with seven assists, which was just one shy of her career-high.

This was certainly a gutsy performance from the UNC women’s basketball program, as they’ve clinched their spot in Sunday’s Phil Knight Invitational championship game. The Tar Heels showed a ton of grit, as they simply made you feel confident that they could battle their way back from any deficit.

You got to love the effort and hustle from Coach Banghart’s team, as they showed that they have the competitive drive to take on anyone. Playing their first game as a top-10 ranked team since 2014-2015, the UNC women’s basketball program showed that they are more than deserving of their current ranking.

Nance and Love power UNC Basketball to victory. dark. Next

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