UNC women’s basketball rolls over Wofford, 99-67, in Carmichael Arena

The No. 8 North Carolina women’s basketball team (8-1) defeated the Wofford Terriers (7-3), 99-67, Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena. 

What happened?

After turning the Terriers over on their first possession, North Carolina utilized its superior height down low. Despite misfiring on its first three shot attempts, UNC corralled a trio of offensive rebounds on its opening offensive possession, which ended with a 3-pointer from redshirt senior guard Eva Hodgson. 

While North Carolina continued to expose Wofford down low, the Terriers found success from downtown. Midway through the first quarter, fifth-year guard Jackie Carman’s second triple of the game inched the Terriers within one point, 13-12.  

But UNC would respond with some fireworks of its own from beyond the arc. Junior forward Alyssa Ustby’s corner 3-pointer served as the Tar Heels’ third distance make of the first quarter — a period that saw the Tar Heels build a three-point advantage. 

The Tar Heels would continue to find success on offense using their inside-out principles. Junior guard Kennedy Todd-Williams would convert a baseline drive and a wing 3-pointer as a part of a 12-0 run by North Carolina. By the end of the first half, UNC had engineered a 51-34 lead.

Out of the half, the Tar Heels came out firing from downtown. Within the first six minutes of the second half, Hodgson canned a pair of buckets from distance to help UNC increase its lead to 70-47.

Scoring contributions from nearly every Tar Heels who played in the first three quarters helped North Carolina build on its already comfortable lead. With one quarter of play remaining, UNC led by 26 points.

With 4:56 remaining in the game, the Tar Heels would substitute in a reserve heavy lineup with North Carolina up big. Moments later, first-year guard Paulina Paris euro stepped her way for a highlight finish. 

From there, UNC would cruise to its eighth win of the season, 99-67.

Who stood out? 

With junior guard Kelly struggling to find a groove in the first half, a trio of Tar Heels picked up the slack. 

Todd-Williams displayed her well-verse game all afternoon, finding success from three-point range and at the cup. Hodgson was efficient from three, converting five of her six attempts from behind the line en route to finishing with 20 points.

Moreover, Ustby found success in the paint due to a variety of undersized lineups from Wofford. The Rochester, Minn. native notched a double-double in the first half, scoring 11 points and snagging 10 rebounds in the first two quarters of play

When was it decided?

The Terriers hung around for the first quarter of play, thanks to the efficient play from Carman.

But UNC’s ability to create havoc both inside and beyond the three-point arc helped the Tar Heels build a double digit lead in the second quarter. From there, North Carolina continued to thrive on both ends and would maintain a sizable lead for the remainder of the contest. 

Why does it matter?

The win extends the Tar Heels’ perfect record at home this season.

After sluggish games against Indiana and UNC-Wilmington on the offensive end, North Carolina’s offense returned to its efficient ways against Wofford.  In the 99-point output, UNC shot over 50 percent from the field and converted its shots from distance at a 40 percent clip.

When do they play next?

North Carolina continues its homestand on Friday, when the Tar Heels play host to South Carolina Upstate. The end-of-week contest is set to start at 6 p.m.

@evanr0gers

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com