By Bob Sutton
CHAPEL HILL — It doesn’t have to be perfect for the No. 17 North Carolina’s women’s basketball team for it to be valuable.
That was the case with Saturday afternoon’s 68–39 victory against visiting Elon at Carmichael Arena.
“I really like this team, so I want them to be perfect right now,” Tar Heels coach Courtney Banghart said. “That’s not fair.”
So the Tar Heels pointed to many positive aspects in this latest exercise, extending their record to 4–0 with their 20th consecutive triumph in homecourt non-conference games.
So even 40.3% shooting from the floor didn’t damper what was gained for North Carolina.
“In those times, we just have to lean on each other,” said Alyssa Ustby, who racked up 16 points and 11 rebounds. “We’re missing shots that we probably made over 100 of this past week. We’re just constantly encouraging each other.”
As Banghart pointed out, this particular group of Tar Heels has played only four regular-season games.
“There’s a lot of new in this roster still,” she said. “I thought in the second half they came out and really moved the ball where we were able to get great shots. We didn’t shoot well. We didn’t finish well. But we had a lot of good scoring opportunities.”
Center Maria Gakdeng posted nine of her 13 points in the second half. She finished 6-for-10 from the field.
“I have a job to be demanding, asking for the ball,” Gakdeng said.
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Deja Kelly also scored 13 points. Elon’s reserves outscored North Carolina’s backups by 18-17.
“I felt like we left too many scoring opportunities on the board,” Banghart said.
Elon was held to 30.4-percent shooting from the field, including 1-for-14 on 3-pointers. So the defense provided some of the most encouraging moments, holding a second opponent in a row below 40 points after a 62-32 handling of Hampton.
“More and more minutes, I feel very confident this group will be even better as we get going,” Banghart said.
The Phoenix (1–3) had a rough week, falling 90-35 on Wednesday night at No. 14 North Carolina State. Jessica Booth’s eight points was tops for Elon.
Check the lineup
Paulina Paris made her first start of the season but fifth of her career for the Tar Heels. That meant Reniya Kelly came off the bench.
“Our lineup is so fluid,” Banghart said. “It gives a chance to have Reniya to watch for a minute to see how they are defending.”
Paris, who was on the court to begin the second half Wednesday vs. Hampton, was scoreless on 0 of 5 shooting in nearly 20½ minutes.
She’s versatile enough to handle different roles.
“Paulina has a ton of experience,” Banghart said. “I love having experience off the bench.”
Don’t expect a rock-solid starting unit.
“I think our lineup will probably remain fluid,” Banghart said.
Welcome back
There was a sentimental aspect of this matchup. It’s the 30th anniversary of North Carolina’s 1994 NCAA championship season, when Charlotte Smith drained the winning basket. She’s the Elon coach.
“I think like all of us, Charlotte Smith being in Carmichael we’re kind of like ‘Whoa, this is special,’ ” Banghart said. “It’s really special to have her here. Special for the whole community.”
Bob Sutton is a veteran ACC sports writer who is the former North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year and was the sports editor of the Burlington Times-News for 25 years.
No. 17 UNC 68, Elon 39
| Date | Day/month | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 4 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 2 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 3 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 13 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–1 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–2 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at No. 22 Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 73–62 | vs. Miami | 14–5, 3–3 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 82–55 | at Florida State | 15–5, 4–3 |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 54–46 | at Georgia Tech | 16–5, 5–3 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 77–71, OT | vs. Syracuse | 17–5, 6–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 61–59 | at N.C. State | 18–5, 7–3 |
| 5 | Thursday | W, 53–44 | vs. Clemson | 19–5, 8–3 |
| 8 | Sunday | W, 84–56 | vs. Wake Forest | 20–5, 9–3 |
| 12 | Thursday | W, 94–42 | vs. SMU | 21–5, 10–3 |
| 15 | Sunday | L, 72–68 | at No. 8 Duke | 21–6, 10–4 |
| 19 | Thursday | W, 66–63, OT | at Virginia Tech | 22–6, 11–4 |
| 22 | Sunday | W, 78–50 | vs. Pittsburgh | 23–6, 12–4 |
| 26 | Thursday | W, 82–70 | at Virginia | 24–6, 13–4 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 72–69 | vs. No. 8 Duke | 25–6, 14–4 |
| ACC tournament | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | |||
| 6 | Friday | W, 85–68 | Quarterfinal vs. Va. Tech | 26–6 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 65–57 | Semifinal vs. No. 13 Louisville | 26–7 |
| NCAA tournament Fort Worth 1 Regional | ||||
| 21 | Friday | W, 82–51 | First round in Chapel Hill: vs. Western Illinois | 27–7 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 74–66 | Second round in Chapel Hill: No. 17 Maryland | 28–7 |
| 27 | Friday | L, 63–52 | Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, Texas: vs. No. 1 UConn | 28–8 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
