UNC Women’s Basketball suffers loss at Syracuse
The short-handed UNC women’s basketball program suffered a second straight loss, as Syracuse defeated them on Thursday night.
Unfortunately, a career day for Deja Kelly was not enough, as the UNC women’s basketball program suffered its second consecutive loss on Thursday night.
67. 441. 75. 445. Final
The Tar Heels were again without Eva Hodgson and Alyssa Ustby, as their absence was definitely visible in this contest.
Behind 19 first-half points from Kelly, North Carolina took a two-point lead into the half. However, the Orange took over in the third quarter, connecting on 12 of their 15-shot attempts to give them a double-digit lead on their home floor.
Not only did junior Anya Poole go down with an injury (and did not return to the game), but Kennedy Todd-Williams also suffered what appears to be an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter. Just add them to the increasing list of key contributors who are currently dealing with injuries.
Other than Kelly and Todd-Williams (who combined for 46 of the Tar Heels’ 67 points), North Carolina didn’t get much offensively from the rest of the team. Kelly finished with a career-high 32 points, while Todd-Williams had a solid 14-point outing.
Teonni Key contributed eight points off the bench, while Kayla McPherson chipped in seven of her own, as no other Tar Heel scored more than four points in the contest.
Of course, the absence of two starters is not ideal. However, the lack of defensive presence, especially in the second half, is a bit concerning. Especially with two of the team’s top four leading scorers sidelined, this group is going to need someone to step up offensively to help carry the load.
Is it time to panic? Absolutely not. This is still a very good team that is going through a bit of struggles as they work through various injuries. At this point, the hope is that they can get healthy (and fast), as the team looks to finish off the regular season on a high note.
The UNC women’s basketball program will look to get back on track on Sunday afternoon at home, as they’ll host Boston College.
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