University of North Carolina Athletics
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Carolina Battles Past Virginia Tech, 67-62
February 13, 2025 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Returning to the comfort of home, No. 12 North Carolina women's basketball proved its grit in a 67-62 win over Virginia Tech from Carmichael Arena on Thursday night. Carolina battled past the Hokies to earn its 10th Atlantic Coast Conference Win of the season.
Powered by Reniya Kelly, North Carolina (22-4, 10-3 ACC) snagged its first win over Virginia Tech (16-9, 7-7 ACC) since 2022 en route to its 10th ACC victory. For the fifth consecutive game, Kelly tallied at least double-figures and tied her career-high tonight with 20 points.
Flying all around, Alyssa Ustby collected 16 rebounds en route to eclipsing the 1,200 career rebound mark. Ustby also moved into No. 2 all-time at Carolina with 1,210 rebounds. As a team, Carolina dished out 15 assists on 25 made field goals with Ustby leading with three.
Lexi Donarksi joined Kelly in double-figure scoring with 15 points of her own and added three made triples.
Coming out strong, Donarski drained two quick threes in the opening five minutes of the night. Both teams hit the ground running, hitting double-figure points quickly before facing a scoring lull. Carolina created its own energy, generating an 8-0 run to snag a quick double-digit lead over the Hokies. Shooting at a blistering clip of 58.8%, Carolina ran out to a 24-15 lead through one.
Kelly continued to keep the Tar Heels humming to maintain their lead, yet Virginia Tech strung together back-to-back buckets in stretches throughout the second quarter to keep pace. Draining five total made threes in the first half, UNC boasted a narrow 37-32 advantage heading into halftime.
With Virginia Tech forcing a one possession game in the early minutes of the third, Carolina began to shut the Hokies down on the offensive end without a point for over three minutes. Back-to-back Virginia Tech buckets forced the game even at 43 all. Hitting five straight field goals, the Hokies grabbed their first lead of the night with two minutes left in the quarter. Making its way to the charity stripe, Carolina was able to add five points to take a narrow 53-52 lead at the end of three.
As the Hokies jumped out to a four-point advantage, Carolina found itself playing catchup with under seven minutes left. Remaining calm and collected, a huge Kelly three evened the floor at 60 and Grace Townsend followed with a layup on a fastbreak to go ahead 62-60 with 3:19 left on the clock. With under a minute remaining and Carolina leading by one, it was a big Donarski drive to the hoop to give the Tar Heels breathing room and force the Hokies out. Sealing the victory at the free throw line with two makes from Kelly, Carolina secured the 67-62 win over Virginia Tech.
Carolina remains home, hosting No. 10 NC State in a huge Sunday meeting from Carmichael. The Tar Heels face off against the Wolfpack at 2 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN.
