UNC Women’s Basketball Gets Back On Track, Knocks Off Virginia By Double Digits

It was a special day in Chapel Hill as the UNC Women's Basketball program welcomed back over 90 former alums as they celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1994 National Championship team. The Tar Heels wore the 1994 throwback uniforms as part of the dedication as the 8-7 (0-4) Virginia Cavaliers came to town.

It was tightly contested for most of the game, but it always felt like the Tar Heels were in control. North Carolina never trailed and led by as many as 14 as Deja Kelly put on her best offensive performance of the season, leading the UNC Women's Basketball team with a season-high 27 points and dishing out five assists.

After the first quarter, the Tar Heels held a seven-point lead at 19-12, and it appeared early on that Alyssa Ustby could be in line for her second triple-double in the last ten days as she had four points, three rebounds, and four assists through one-quarter of play. Ustby was honored pre-game for that triple-double performance against Syracuse.

Virginia outscored the Tar Heels in the second quarter by two points to cut the deficit to five and trailed 37-32 at the halftime break. Ustby continued to pad her impressive stat line and had eight points, seven rebounds, and five assists at the break.

At the halftime break, those alums who were back in Chapel Hill to celebrate that 1994 National Championship were recognized on the floor.

The Tar Heels stretched the lead out to as many as ten points during the third quarter, but Virginia didn't go away easily. The Cavaliers battled back to trail by just one point as we headed to the fourth quarter by a score of 53-52.

The Tar Heels finally pulled away, outscoring the Cavaliers 28-16 in the final period to solidify the score 81-68, including an 8-0 run to end the game. Ustby didn't reach the triple-double mark, but she did finish with another impressive stat line that covered every area of the box score: 17 points on 8-15 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a steal.

The Tar Heels once again put on a dominant defensive performance, holding Virginia to just 33.8% shooting from the field and out-rebounded the Cavaliers 43-39. It was one of the best offensive performances we've seen from North Carolina, too, as they dished out 20 assists and shot 45.2% from the field, including 41.2% from beyond the arc.

On a day of celebration of a National Championship, the Tar Heels picked up a solid victory and moved to 11-5 overall and 4-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The UNC Women's Basketball program will go back on the road for their next game as they will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to face the 12-5 (3-2) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday, January 18th at 6:00 PM.

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