UNC Women’s Basketball survives scare from Davidson
Courtney Banghart and the UNC women’s basketball program found a way to hand on against Davidson on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill.
PHEW.
Final. 70. 2105. 74. 441
After leading by as many as 13 points, the UNC women’s basketball program witnessed a fourth-quarter comeback from the Davidson Wildcats. Although Davidson was able to re-take the lead, the Tar Heels found a way to secure the victory.
Give credit to the Wildcats: the way they shot the ball from beyond the arc in the second half made you think Stephen Curry was on the court!
After the Tar Heels forced them to make just two of 11 first-half attempts, the Wildcats caught fire, draining eight three-pointers over the final 20 minutes of action. This played a large role in the team’s comeback effort, as they found the open shooter and knocked down the shot consistently.
With multiple opportunities to put the game out of reach late in the fourth quarter, the UNC women’s basketball program uncharacteristically struggled from the free throw line. Fortunately, timely offensive rebounds from the likes of Alyssa Ustby and Maria Gakdeng helped earn additional opportunities that ended up being critical.
Not only did Deja Kelly lead the Tar Heels with 18 points, but she was outstanding at facilitating the basketball as well. The senior guard ended the night with seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals, as she did a little bit of everything to secure the victory.
Gakdeng was a force in the paint, scoring 15 points of her own, while grad transfer Lexi Donarski knocked down some clutch three-pointers (and free throws!) en route to her 15-point outing. Alyssa Ustby fell one rebound shy of another double-double, as she scored 11 points and had 9 rebounds, some of which were very important for the Tar Heels to have.
The bench usage was limited, as Paulina Paris (eight points) and Indya Nivar (seven points) were the two reserves that saw the most minutes. Kayla McPherson, who missed the season opener due to injury, was back, as she played limited minutes in her return to the court.
Of course, there’s plenty to like about this game, especially the Tar Heels defensive effort early on. The fourth quarter wasn’t pretty by any means, but it is a great experience that Banghart and her staff hope will help this team grow as the season moves along.
We can all breathe a sigh of relief for now; the UNC women’s basketball program found its way on Sunday afternoon.
Don’t worry, plenty of more tough tests are on the way for this team, as they look to be up for the challenge.
Next. UNC basketball handles Lehigh. dark
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