University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Clemson
Powered By Kelly, No. 13 WBB Comes Away With 53-51 Win At Clemson
February 9, 2025 | Women's Basketball
CLEMSON, S.C. – In its third straight road game, No. 13 North Carolina women's basketball took Clemson's best shot yet snuck away with the 53-51 win over the Tigers to remain undefeated on the road. Carolina is now 7-0 in true away games and remains one of three teams nationally yet to falter on the road.
Remaining on the road for the second straight week, North Carolina (21-4, 9-3 ACC) pulled off the nail-biter to win its second straight game by one-possession in fending off Clemson (11-13, 4-9 ACC).
Reniya Kelly is experiencing her sophomore jump, leading the Tar Heels with 17 points for her fourth straight game in double-figures for the longest streak of her career. The sophomore also snagged a career-high eight rebounds and dished out three assists.
Crushing the Tigers off the glass, Carolina outrebounded Clemson by a margin of +17 for its most against an ACC squad this season. Leading this charge was Alyssa Ustby with her 11th game this season with double-figure rebounds with a team-high 13.
Joining Kelly in double-figures, Maria Gakdeng added 12 points and snagged nine rebounds. Coming in clutch, Grace Townsend scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.
Despite coming out of the tip with a three to open the game from the Tar Heels, both teams took a few minutes to find their shot. Heating up from beyond the arc, both teams utilized the three-ball to remain neck-and-neck. With the Tigers shooting 4-of-8 from deep, Clemson snagged a 15-12 lead over Carolina through the first quarter.
As the Tar Heels picked up steam on the inside, their defense began to slow Clemson down on the opposite end. Holding the Tigers scoreless for over half of the second quarter, a defensive battle ensued. Hitting her second three of the day, Kelly forced a tie at 19 all, as Carolina worked to pull ahead. As Clemson drained two layups in the final minute of the half, UNC found itself facing a slim 25-22 deficit at the break.
With Kelly guiding the Tar Heels on offense, their defense shut down the Tigers to regain a narrow lead for their first since the first quarter. Providing an offensive Spark, Ustby and Kelly worked to find each other on open shots to keep Carolina in-step with the Tigers. A one possession game the entirety of the third quarter, UNC carried a narrow 37-36 advantage with 10 minutes remaining.
Knocking down three of its first four shots to start the fourth, Carolina managed to gain a bit of control over the Tigers. Refusing to go away, Clemson met UNC at 45 all with five minutes remaining. Back-to-back drives to the hoop from Townsend kept the Tar Heels in command yet Clemson capitalized the three-ball to lead by two with two minutes left. It all came down to Gakdeng on the inside and Kelly draining the clutch jumper in the paint to push Carolina past the Tigers, 53-51.
The Tar Heels make their long awaited return home, hosting Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill on Thursday. Carolina tips off against the Hokies at 7 p.m. ET, streaming on ACCNX.
