Tar Heels Earn Senior Night Win Over Georgia Tech

Thursday, February 25

Chapel Hill

6:00 PM

North Carolina

12-9,7-9ACC

Georgia Tech

13-7,11-6ACC

Georgia Tech

North Carolina

The Tar Heels honored Stephanie Watts, Janelle Bailey and Petra Holešínská Thursday for Senior Night

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

February 25, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina women's basketball team picked up an important late-season Atlantic Coast Conference win and made sure post-game Senior Night ceremonies had a celebratory feel, earning a 84-59 victory over Georgia Tech at Carmichael Arena Thursday evening.

"It's great when you play well at home, it's great when you shoot well," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. "We knew we had to play on both ends to beat a good team and the kids were really focused. On Senior Night, to get a big win, it doesn't get much better than that."

The Tar Heels improved to 12-9 overall and 7-9 in ACC play with the win, their fourth in the last five games. UNC has just one game remaining in the regular season, on Sunday at Virginia Tech.

Georgia Tech, which is third in the ACC standings, fell to 13-7 overall and 11-6 in ACC play.

The entire starting lineup for UNC reached double figures. It's the fifth time this season that five or more Tar Heels have scored in double digits, but the first since ACC play started. Freshman Deja Kelly, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Week, equaled her career high with a team-best 22 points and also led the team in assists with four. All three of the night's guests of honor – senior Janelle Bailey and graduate students Petra Holešínská and Stephanie Watts – scored in double figures, with Watts hitting for 14, including 5-for-5 free throw shooting; Holešínská totaling 13, with 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range; and Bailey finishing with 12 points and a team best 10 rebounds for her 42^nd career double-double.

Freshman Alyssa Ustby also hit double figures with 10 points and added six rebounds, and a team-high four steals.

The game was close early, with UNC leading 17-14 after the first quarter. The Tar Heels opened the second period with a 7-0 run, including a lay-up by Holešínská and five points by Bailey, to take a 10-point lead. Georgia Tech made a run of its own, with five points in a row to pull within five, then the Tar Heels outscored the visitors 22-5 over the rest of the quarter to take a 46-24 lead into halftime.

UNC shot 60 percent (12-20) in the second period, marking the second-best shooting percentage in a quarter in ACC play this season.

The margin never got below 19 after halftime and UNC led by 32 points in the fourth quarter, the team's largest lead in ACC play this season.

With their team up 81-55 with 1:32 to play in the game, Bailey, Holešínská and Watts subbed out at Carmichael for the last time and were greeted by applause and hugs from the bench.

The Tar Heels finished with their highest three-point percentage of the season (.571, 8-14), with 14 attempts equal to their season low.

"It was a big game," Bailey said. "I felt like we had great intention from the jump ball. Everybody contributed, everybody was being aggressive. That was a game that we needed. I'm happy for us and happy for everyone that's a Tar Heel fan."

Gallery: (2-25-2021) UNC Closes Out Home Season With Victory