CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Despite a double-digit second-quarter lead and a career-high 20 points from freshman Reniya Kelly, No. 20 North Carolina dropped a road game in Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball play on Sunday afternoon, falling 81-66 to Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena.
 
The score was almost a mirror of the teams’ meeting two weeks ago in Chapel Hill, which UNC won 81-68.
 
Carolina fell to 15-6 overall and 7-2 in ACC play heading into Thursday’s game at NC State. Virginia, which was celebrating the 50^th anniversary of its program with a large group of coaches and alums in attendance, improved to 10-10 overall and 2-7 in ACC play by beating a ranked conference opponent for the second time in the past three games.
 
The Tar Heels pulled ahead early, using a 12-0 run to go up 19-7 with 3:33 to play in the first quarter. UNC shot 59 percent in the opening period and led 25-16 heading into the second.  
 
UNC held its largest lead of the game, 13 points, just over two minutes into the second quarter when the Tar Heels led 29-16 after a jumper by Reniya Kelly. But the Cavaliers then kicked off a quick 14-1 run to tie the game at 30-30 with 3:39 to play before halftime. Back-to-back baskets by Maria Gakdeng each put the Tar Heels back on top, but the Cavaliers led by three at halftime (37-34) and held onto the advantage the rest of the way.
 
After trailing by as many as nine in the third, UNC again pulled within three points at the end of the period when a jumper by Deja Kelly made it 60-57 Virginia heading into the fourth.
 
Virginia outscored UNC 21-9 in the final 10 minutes to earn the double-digit win. The Tar Heels shot 20 percent from the field (3-15), the team’s lowest percentage in a quarter of ACC play this year. Coming into Sunday’s game, Carolina hadn’t had even one single-digit quarter in ACC play but finished the day with two, scoring nine points in both the second and fourth quarters.
 
After Kelly’s 20 points, double her previous high of 10 set in the most recent game, seniors Alyssa Ustby and Deja Kelly both hit double digits, with 13 and 10 points respectively. The senior captains handed out five assists each, and Ustby also had a team-best eight rebounds and four blocks.
 
Both Kellys played all 40 minutes, which was a career high for Reniya and the third time in the last four games Deja has done so.
 
“Hats off to Virginia, boy they shot almost 60 percent from three,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “They really, really played well, had us kind of on our heels.
 
“I’d be remiss not to talk about Reniya – just huge minutes, just a great job.”
 
Virginia’s 81 points are a high this season by a Tar Heel opponent. The team’s 57.9 (11-19) three-point day also marked an opponent high, as did the Cavaliers 22 free throws made and 28 attempts.  Freshman Kymora Johnson led Virginia with 25 points, including 4-5 three-point shooting. Graduate student Sam Brunelle, who also went 4-5 from three, finished with 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Paris Clark also scored 14 and London Clarkson added 10.