Women's Basketball Drops ACC Battle In Blacksburg

Sunday, January 31

Blacksburg, Va.

4:00 PM

North Carolina

Virginia Tech

Malu Tshitenge had six points and eight rebounds in Sunday's loss.

Photo by: Virginia Tech Athletics

January 31, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: UNC Athletic Communications

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The North Carolina women's basketball team is still in search of its first road win of the season after dropping a close game Sunday afternoon, 73-69 at Virginia Tech. Playing at the Hokies' Cassell Coliseum, the Tar Heels led by three heading into the fourth quarter but couldn't hold onto the advantage, falling to 8-7 overall and 3-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

The Tar Heels play their next three games at home starting with a visit from Florida State on Thursday.

UNC had four players score in double figures, led by graduate student guard Petra Holešínská, who came off the bench for 21 points. It was her fourth 20-point game of the season and third in a row. Senior center Janelle Bailey had 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds in 24 minutes as she was hampered by foul trouble. Graduate student guard Stephanie Watts scored 11 points and freshman Deja Kelly added 10, marking the first time this season the Tar Heels have had four players score in double figures but not won the game.

Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley led the Hokies (9-7, 4-7) with 27 points and eight rebounds. Aisha Sheppard, who recently became the school's all-time leader in three-pointers, added 16 points, including five threes.

The teams met just over two weeks ago in Chapel Hill, with the Hokies winning that one 66-54 on Jan. 14.

"These guys fought hard, I thought much harder than the last time we played," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said of her team. "And that's how it's been for three straight games. They've found their rhythm in terms of how hard you have to play in this league and now the more experience we can continue to get, the better.

"Virginia Tech is a good team. They've been in every game they've played – that's what I love about this conference. We have to be a little bit mentally sharper for a little bit longer in the game."

With snow on the ground outside, the Tar Heels had a chilly shooting start to the day, spotting their hosts a 9-0 lead to open the game. UNC missed its first five shots before freshman Alyssa Ustby worked for two under the basket to make it 9-2. The Tar Heels continued to chip away until they were down by just two, 17-15, heading into the second quarter.

UNC got its first lead of the game just over a minute into the second period on a three-pointer from Watts, who was 2-for-4 from long range on the day. Although Bailey stayed on the bench throughout the period after two early fouls, the Tar Heels shot 50 percent (7-14) in the quarter to keep the game close. They trailed by two, 34-32, at halftime.

Carolina led through most of the third quarter. The Tar Heels had their biggest lead of the game – eight points at 45-37 – after Watts hit a pair of free throws with 4:48 remaining. Behind seven points from Watts and six from Bailey, UNC outscored the Hokies 20-15 in the third and took a 52-49 lead into the fourth after a three from Holešínská with 12 seconds on the clock.

The fourth, however, saw a Hokie comeback. Cayla King hit a three to tie the score less than a minute into the period and Virginia Tech held the advantage after that, although UNC never trailed by more than six. The home team shot 44.4 percent from the field but got the bulk of its 24 fourth-quarter points at the foul line, hitting 14 of 16 in the final period after taking just two free throws in the game's first 30 minutes.

The Tar Heels never stopped fighting, forcing a turnover on an inbounds with 18.6 seconds to play, trailing 71-67. A driving layup by Holešínská made it a two-point game (71-69) with 3.5 seconds to play, but VT hit two free throws in the final seconds to seal the game.

Bailey fouled out with just over three minutes to play and Holešínská picked up her fifth in the final seconds, marking the first time this season that two Tar Heels have fouled out of a game.

UNC hosts the Seminoles Thursday at 6 p.m. for the first of three home games in a row. After that it's NC State on Sunday and Boston College on Feb. 11.

The Tar Heels will make another trip to Blacksburg to end the regular season on Feb. 28.