WBB Hosts Clemson Sunday For New Year's Eve Matchup

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The UNC women's basketball team will close out 2023 Sunday with one more game at Carmichael Arena, hosting Clemson for the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play. Tipoff is noon and the game will air on the CW.

Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased here.

The No. 25 Tar Heels are 8-4 overall and last played on Dec. 19, beating Oklahoma in Charlotte as part of the Jumpman Invitational.

The game is the first of back-to-back home games for Carolina to open conference play. The Tar Heels host Syracuse on Thursday before hitting the road for their next two.

Clemson comes into the game at 8-5 overall and 1-0 in ACC play. The Tigers opened conference action on Dec. 7 with a homecourt win over Duke.

Tar Heels vs Tigers
The Tar Heels and Tigers are meeting for the 91st time in a rivalry that dates back to the 1975-76 season, Carolina's second as a varsity program under the umbrella of the Department of Athletics.

The Tar Heels lead the overall series 62-28 after winning both of last year's matchups, the last seven in a row, 12 of the past 13 and 29 of the past 31.

• The teams' last meeting in Chapel Hill kicked off the new year in 2022. Clemson visited Chapel Hill on Jan. 2, 2022, with UNC winning 81-62 behind a then-career-high 31 from sophomore Deja Kelly, who hit a career-best five three-pointers. Afterward, coach Courtney Banghart called it Kelly's best game yet as a Tar Heel as Carolina improved to 13-0 overall and 3-0 in ACC play.

• Clemson last won in Chapel Hill during the 2011-12 season. On Jan. 12, 2012, the Tigers earned a 52-47 victory over No. 22 UNC, breaking a string 53 consecutive losses to ranked teams.

• Last season's game at Clemson, a 69-58 Tar Heel win on Jan. 29th, was a breakout game for Paulina Paris. In her first career start, she led UNC with 22 points – including six three-pointers – and five steals and was subsequently honored as ACC Freshman of the Week.

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• Deja Kelly leads the ACC and ranks 12th in the nation in free throw attempts with 77. With 49 makes, she's second in the ACC and 45th nationally. The team's last home game, a win over Western Carolina on Dec. 15, was a statistical anomaly for Kelly in that she didn't get to the foul line even once, marking just the eighth time in her career that she hasn't taken a single foul shot.

• Kelly leads Carolina in scoring with 15.3 points per game. She's coming off a 21-point performance in the win over Oklahoma – it was her third 20-point game of the season and 24th of her career.

• Paulina Paris is perfect from the free throw line this season at 6 for 6.

• Through 12 games, Alyssa Ustby leads the Tar Heels in rebounding (8.8) and assists (3.3), and is tied with Deja Kelly for first in steals (2.0). She's second on the team in scoring (12.3) and blocks (1.25).

• Maria Gakdeng is shooting .684 from the field, a percentage that would lead the ACC if she had the required five makes per game. (She has 4.3.)
• Six players on the roster have at least one 20-point game in a Carolina uniform. Deja Kelly has hit 20 points on 24 occasions, Alyssa Ustby six, and Lexi Donarski, Maria Gakdeng, Paulina Paris and Kayla McPherson once each. Paris's came in last year's matchup with Clemson.

• The last game at Carmichael was UNC's best shooting night of the season so far. On Dec. 15 vs. Western Carolina, the Tar Heels hit a season-best 51.9 percent from the field and also season highs in assists (24) and steals (16), along with a season low for turnovers (6). Six turnovers matched the lowest of any game under fifth-year coach Courtney Banghart. The last time the Tar Heels gave up the ball fewer times was in 2019.

• Redshirt sophomore Teonni Key saw her first action of the season in the Western Carolina after missing the first 10 games of the year with a lower body injury. She made an immediate impact, with a career-best 10 rebounds, seven points, three blocks, two assists and a steal in 17:41 off the bench.

Milestone Watch
• Sunday's game is likely to be the 100th career start for Deja Kelly. It comes in her 101st game as a Tar Heel. (She missed one start her freshman year.)

• Kelly passed the 1,500 career points mark in the Dec. 19 win over Oklahoma. She's the 25th Tar Heel to reach that milestone and currently has 1,503 career points, 25th in program history. In 24th is Jessica Breland, who scored 1,535 between 2007 and 2011.

• Maria Gakdeng is five rebounds away from reaching 500 for her career.

• Seniors Alyssa Ustby and Anya Poole are both close to playing in their 100th career games. Poole comes into Sunday's game having played in 95 (68 starts) and Ustby 96 (89 starts).

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Lexi Donarski

Maria Gakdeng

Deja Kelly

Teonni Key

Kayla McPherson

Paulina Paris

Anya Poole

Alyssa Ustby

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