With a highly energetic crowd in attendance for both sides, North Carolina women’s basketball dropped its second game to its rival No. 3 N.C. State, losing 66-58.
What happened?
Unlike its previous outing against the Wolfpack in Raleigh, North Carolina came out and took control early on. The team got out to an early 5-0 lead after a Carlie Littlefield three-pointer and pair of free throws from sophomore forward Anya Poole. The Tar Heels recorded four steals before N.C. State got on the board.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams began to come alive for North Carolina in the first quarter, knocking down a midrange shot and two free throws to extend the lead to 9-2. Later in the quarter, after a layup and three-pointer from N.C. State guard Kai Crutchfield, Todd-Williams scored a fastbreak layup late in the quarter to put UNC up eight. The Wolfpack cut the lead to 19-13 to close out the period.
Early in the second quarter Todd-Williams knocked down another three-pointer , which was followed by another one from sophomore guard Alyssa Ustby. After a layup from Todd-Williams, Courtney Banghart’s team held a 27-15 lead against the nation’s third-ranked team.
N.C. State cut into the lead slightly, but redshirt-junior guard Eva Hodgson put the Tar Heels back up by 10 with a much needed three-point shot. UNC went into the half up 33-27, much better than its previous effort in early January.
In the third quarter, however, things took a turn for North Carolina.
It did not take long for N.C. State to cut into the six-point deficit, as the team tied the game up less than three minutes into the quarter. Elissa Cunane of N.C. State went on a personal 7-0 run – capped off by a three-pointer – to give the Wolfpack their first lead of the game.
For a stretch, they seemed to dominate the third quarter, putting up basket after basket while UNC experienced a severe scoring drought. The team didn’t score until nearly five minutes into the quarter with a Littlefield layup.
Down by 13, North Carolina began to fight back. Todd-Williams scored a layup followed by an Alexandra Zelaya three-pointer. Soon after, Ustby got the crowd going with a fastbreak, euro-step layup, cutting the lead to 48-42 and forcing a timeout from N.C. State.
Going into the fourth quarter, North Carolina trailed the Wolfpack 50-44.
Though the game was within reach, UNC came out flat at the start of the fourth quarter while the Wolfpack began to grow its lead even further.
By the 6:03 mark in the fourth, the Wolfpack had outscored the Tar Heels 8-2 and expanded its lead to 12 after a three-pointer from Jakia Brown-Turner.
The Wolfpack led by as many as 14 in the quarter, but UNC still hung around late. A Todd-Williams layup cut the State lead to 60-52 with under four minutes remaining, and a Poole layup brought the lead down to six on the next play.
Raina Perez of the Wolfpack quickly answered, however, making a clutch three-pointer to extend the lead to nine.
From there, UNC did not cut much more into the lead, and the team fell 66-58.
Who stood out?
Todd-Williams delivered the strongest outing for the Tar Heels, scoring a team-high 15 points. She set the tone on the defensive end of the court as well. She also chipped in seven rebounds.
When was it decided?
The momentum of the game swung entirely in the third quarter. By that point, North Carolina played great basketball against one of the nation’s top teams, specifically one that won in convincing fashion in an earlier matchup this season. The team led the entire game until early in the third, when Cunane knocked down her first three-pointer of the game.
From there, N.C. State never relinquished the lead and stayed on top for the remainder of the game.
Why does it matter?
Fighting to get back into the top-25, knocking off a highly-ranked Wolfpack team would have done wonders for UNC, especially coming off its win against No. 21 Duke on Thursday. The team does have two more chances to beat ranked team this season, including a home game against No. 5 Louisville and a rematch against the Blue Devils, also in Chapel Hill.
When do they play next?
Later this week, the Tar Heels will travel to Winston-Salem to play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Thursday, Feb. 3. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com
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