WBB Falls To No. 7 Virginia Tech In ACC Play

Sunday, January 1

Blacksburg, Va.

4 PM

North Carolina

9-4,0-2ACC

Virginia Tech

12-2,2-2ACC

North Carolina

Virginia Tech

Paulina Paris came off the bench for 15 points in UNC's loss at Virginia Tech.

Photo by: Keith Lucas

January 1, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The North Carolina women's basketball team dropped a back-and-forth, hard-fought battle Sunday at No. 7 Virginia Tech, falling 68-65 in a game that included 26 lead changes.

No. 13 UNC falls to 9-4 (0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with its third straight loss, two of them to ranked teams and the other to a team poised to climb into the rankings. The Hokies improved to 12-2 overall and 2-2 in ACC play.

Junior Deja Kelly led the Tar Heels with 21 points, the third time in the last four games she's hit for at least 20. Freshman Paulina Paris came off the bench for 15 points, nine of them in the fourth quarter, to tie her career high. Junior Alyssa Ustby scored 12 despite playing just under 24 minutes because of foul trouble.

Virginia Tech guard Georgia Amoore, who was honored in a pregame ceremony for recently registering the program's first triple-double, led all scorers with 24 points, including six three-pointers and 4-5 shooting from the foul line in 40 minutes on the court.

UNC started 0-3 from the field with the first basket of 2023 not coming until almost four minutes in on a jumper from Kennedy Todd-Williams. Throughout the course of the game, neither team led by more than six, which was Carolina's advantage midway through the third period.

The Hokies' biggest lead was four, midway through the second period.

UNC took a four-point lead (62-58) on a pull-up jumper by Kelly with 4:15 to play, and the Tar Heels were still up by two with 2:55 to play after a bucket by Paris. Virginia Tech's D'asia Gregg made a three with 1:45 to play to put her team up by one and the Tar Heels never led again, although they tied the score at 65-65 on a free throw by Anya Poole with 56 remaining. The only scoring after that came on three free throws by Amoore that put the Hokies up with a second to play.

Virginia Tech hit 12 three-pointers, equal to the second-highest total of the season by a Tar Heel opponent. The Hokies' .875 free throw percentage (14-16) was a high by an opponent this season.

UNC took 10 foul shots, a season low, and made eight of them. The Tar Heels forced 20 turnovers while committing only 10 and outscored the Hokies 28-14 in the paint.

Both Ustby and Kelly were hampered by fouls through much of the game, with Kelly fouling out with 1:23 remaining in the game.

Carolina is back in action on Thursday with another ACC road game, this one at Miami.