The North Carolina women's basketball team (4-0) continued its perfect start to the season with a 76-46 win over Elon University (2-2) on Friday evening at Carmichael Arena to improve to 4-0 on the season. All four of the Tar Heels' victories so far this season have been by at least a 30-point margin.
What happened?
The Tar Heels didn't start the game as fast as they would have liked, giving up four turnovers in the first quarter and only finishing the period with a slim 13-8 lead.
But North Carolina's offense exploded in the second quarter, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 2-for-5 from three in route to putting up 23 points while limiting Elon to 13. At the end of the half, UNC had earned a 15-point lead, 36-21.
The Tar Heels started the third quarter right where they left off before halftime, increasing the lead to 20 points less than five minutes into the quarter. Junior center Janelle Bailey led the offense, putting up eight point, six of them coming from free throws.
North Carolina finished the third quarter with a 59-35 lead, allowing the team to bring on some of its reserves in the fourth quarter. First-year guards Nia Daniel and Kennady Tucker had four points and three points respectively and redshirt junior forward Emily Sullivan had two.
UNC put up a total of 17 points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with a 76-46 victory.
Who stood out?
First-year forward Malu Tshitenge contributed her second double-double of the season for the Tar Heels while leading the team in points and rebounds with 18 and 10. Senior guard Taylor Koenen, redshirt senior guard Madinah Muhammad and Bailey also reached double figures in scoring. Koenen and Muhammad each had 14 while Bailey contributed 12 points.
