Women's Basketball Falls To Virginia Tech, 66-54

Thursday, January 14

Chapel Hill

6:00 PM

North Carolina

7-4,2-4ACC

Virginia Tech

7-4,2-4ACC

Virginia Tech

North Carolina

Deja Kelly led UNC in scoring with 15 points in Thursday's loss to Virginia Tech.

Photo by: Dana Gentry

January 14, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After winning its first seven home games of the season, the UNC women's basketball team dropped its second straight at Carmichael Thursday evening, falling 66-54 to Virginia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle. Freshman Deja Kelly scored 15 points to lead three Tar Heels in double figures.

Next up for UNC (7-4, 2-4 ACC) is a trip to Syracuse, to play a previously-postponed game against the Orange. The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 31, but is now set for Tuesday at noon.

In the loss to the Hokies, Carolina equaled a season low in scoring with 54 points and established a new season low with 35 rebounds, getting beaten on the boards for the first time in this year's 11 games. Virginia Tech, which broke a four-game losing streak to improve to 7-4 overall and 2-4 in ACC play, grabbed 50 rebounds, a high for a UNC opponent this season.

Hokie center Elizabeth Kitley led her team with 18 points, all but four of which came after halftime, and 14 rebounds. Cayla King came off the bench for 15 points on five three-pointers, two of which came in the final 2:14 of play after the Tar Heels had cut the Hokies' lead to six.

Looking to get back on track after a 69-59 homecourt loss to Miami on Sunday in their first action of 2021, The Tar Heels opened with a 4-0 run, but then saw Virginia Tech go on a 10-0 tear of its own. Carolina tied the game at 10 on a three-pointer by Petra Holešínská with 2:50 to play in the first period, then after Virginia Tech again pulled ahead, Tar Heel freshman Kennedy Todd-Williams nailed a three to tie the game at 15-15 heading into the second quarter.

UNC scored the first seven points of the period – including another three and a layup by Todd-Williams – to grab its largest lead of the game, 22-15 on a Janelle Bailey hook shot with 7:51 to play before halftime. But King answered with one of her three-pointers and Aisha Sheppard, who finished with 15 points, added another to quickly cut the Tar Heel advantage to one. The Hokies were up three at halftime, 27-24.

Virginia Tech held the lead for the rest of the game, going up by as many as 16, 52-36 on a King three-pointer with a minute to play in the third quarter. UNC got as close as six points, 56-50 on a pair of free throws by Kelly with 2:33 to play, but could get no closer.

It marked the third consecutive VT victory in the series. The teams will meet again on Jan. 31 in Blacksburg, Va.