No. 23 North Carolina women hold off Pittsburgh 64-54

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Deja Kelly scored 17 points, Alyssa Ustby had 10 points and 12 rebounds and No. 23 North Carolina beat Pittsburgh 64-54 on Thursday night.

North Carolina led by 22 points before Pitt battled back by closing the third quarter on a 5-0 run and scoring the opening 10 points of the fourth to get within 51-44. But the Tar Heels had an answer after each Pitt make the rest of the way to hold at least a seven-point lead.

Eva Hodgson added 14 points, with 3-for-3 shooting from distance, for North Carolina (19-4, 9-4 ACC).

North Carolina shot 28.1% from the field in the first half and still led 34-18. The Tar Heels attempted 16 free throws compared to Pittsburg's two, and had a 27-14 advantage on the glass. It was the third straight game North Carolina has held an opponent to under 20 points in the first half.

Jayla Everett made 4 of 5 3-pointers and scored 18 points for Pittsburgh (11-12, 2-10). Amber Brown added 14 points and Dayshanette Harris had 10 before fouling out late.

Pittsburgh shot better from the field, 41.1% compared to UNC's 32.2, but was undone by 22 turnovers and just four free-throw attempts.

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