No. 17 North Carolina women beat Hampton 62-32

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Deja Kelly scored 12 points, Maria Gakdeng had 10 points and nine rebounds and No. 17 North Carolina beat Hampton 62-32 on Wednesday.

North Carolina (3-0) allowed less than 40 points in a game for the first time since a 93-25 victory over South Carolina State on Nov. 16, 2022. The Tar Heels also didn't allow a double-digit scorer against Hampton.

Kelly started an 11-0 run to begin the second quarter and Paulina Paris closed it with four straight points to give the Tar Heels a 26-6 lead. North Carolina led by double figures the rest of the way, including 32-13 at halftime as Hampton was just 6 of 18 from the field with 19 turnovers.

North Carolina scored 14 straight points in the third quarter, with five from Kelly, for a 46-15 lead. The Tar Heels were just 3-of-17 shooting in the fourth quarter.

Both teams struggled from the field at 33% shooting. But the Tar Heels went 19 of 26 at the free-throw line compared to 4 of 9 for the Pirates.

Paris finished with 11 points for North Carolina, which scored 27 points off of 29 turnovers by Hampton.

Aisha Dabo had a team-high seven points for Hampton (0-2).

North Carolina hosts Elon on Saturday. Hampton plays Norfolk State on Sunday.

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