University of North Carolina Athletics
Kelly Named ACC WBB Player Of The Week
February 21, 2022 | Women's Basketball
GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina sophomore Deja Kelly has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. Kelly, a guard from San Antonio, Texas, averaged 22 points last week as the Tar Heels picked up a pair of important wins to improve to 21-5 overall and 11-5 in ACC play. As a result, Carolina jumped six spots in the Associated Press poll and now sits at No. 18.
It's the first career Player of the Week honor for Kelly, who was named ACC Freshman of the Week twice last season and was a member of the 2021 All-Freshman Team and All-ACC Academic Team.
On Thursday, UNC knocked off No. 3 Louisville for the first time ever in ACC play (the Cardinals had won eight in a row in the series) to register the team's highest-ranked win since 2019. Kelly scored 18 points on 6-12 shooting, including a jumper with 23 seconds to play that put the Tar Heels up by one. She also had four rebounds and three steals.
On Sunday, UNC went on the road to beat Florida State 64-49. It was the Tar Heels first win against FSU since the 2014-15 season and first win in Tallahassee since 2013-14. Kelly led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 9-15 from the field. She also led UNC in assists with five, equal to her season high, and added four rebounds. She played all 40 minutes for the second time this season and the third time in her career.
The 26-point performance against the Seminoles was Kelly's sixth 20+ game of the season
After averaging 22.0 points per game last week (while shooting .556 from the field and .444 from three), she's now at 16.3 ppg for the season, fourth in the ACC. She leads the league in free throw percentage (863), is tied for 10th in steals and is 13th in field goal percentage.
The Tar Heels return to action on Thursday, traveling to Virginia for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The final game of the regular season is at home on Sunday, with the Tar Heels hosting Duke. Tipoff at Carmichael is 4 p.m.
It's the first career Player of the Week honor for Kelly, who was named ACC Freshman of the Week twice last season and was a member of the 2021 All-Freshman Team and All-ACC Academic Team.
#ACCWBB Player of the Week. 💯⬇️
🏀🐏: Deja Kelly, @uncwbb.
📰: https://t.co/kK4uqesl7I pic.twitter.com/7rGiQjwyLl
— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb) February 21, 2022
On Thursday, UNC knocked off No. 3 Louisville for the first time ever in ACC play (the Cardinals had won eight in a row in the series) to register the team's highest-ranked win since 2019. Kelly scored 18 points on 6-12 shooting, including a jumper with 23 seconds to play that put the Tar Heels up by one. She also had four rebounds and three steals.
On Sunday, UNC went on the road to beat Florida State 64-49. It was the Tar Heels first win against FSU since the 2014-15 season and first win in Tallahassee since 2013-14. Kelly led all scorers with 26 points, shooting 9-15 from the field. She also led UNC in assists with five, equal to her season high, and added four rebounds. She played all 40 minutes for the second time this season and the third time in her career.
The 26-point performance against the Seminoles was Kelly's sixth 20+ game of the season
After averaging 22.0 points per game last week (while shooting .556 from the field and .444 from three), she's now at 16.3 ppg for the season, fourth in the ACC. She leads the league in free throw percentage (863), is tied for 10th in steals and is 13th in field goal percentage.
The Tar Heels return to action on Thursday, traveling to Virginia for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The final game of the regular season is at home on Sunday, with the Tar Heels hosting Duke. Tipoff at Carmichael is 4 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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