Watch out, college basketball world. The UNC women’s basketball team is red hot – and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
16th-ranked North Carolina welcomed an undefeated, 14th-ranked Kentucky squad to Carmichael Arena on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels entered winning their past four, while the Wildcats were fresh off a ranked victory over Illinois on Wednesday, November 27.
When the buzzer sounded in Chapel Hill on Thursday night, UNC extended its winning streak to five games and left its home court with a massive, 72-53 victory.
North Carolina (8-1) dominated Kentucky (7-1) in virtually every aspect, but truly made a difference in the paint, with the Tar Heels outscoring the Wildcats 42-10. UNC did this without star freshman Blanca Thomas, who didn’t play for an undisclosed reason.
Reniya Kelly led North Carolina with 18 points and six assists, while Alyssa Ustby poured in 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but Thursday was all about Tar Heels center Maria Gakdeng.
Playing in her fourth and final collegiate season, Gakdeng scored her 1,000th point in UNC’s big victory. In her fifth start of the year, Gakdeng scored 16 points and led her North Carolina teammates with nine rebounds.
If you watched Thursday’s matchup, you likely saw a former Tar Heel in Kentucky Blue. Teonni Key, the 6’4″ forward who played her first two seasons at UNC, scored seven points and pulled down eight rebounds.
North Carolina had a scoring advantage in the first (21-16), second (15-9) and fourth (22-14) quarters. The Wildcats and Tar Heels each scored 14 points in the third quarter.
Through nine games, North Carolina is tied with California for second in the ACC. With five straight wins and a deeper, talented roster compared to last season, UNC is looking like one of the best early-season teams in college basketball.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : UNC WBB dominates Kentucky from start to finish in ACC-SEC Challenge
