CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Deja Kelly scored 18 points, North Carolina built a 26-point lead in the first quarter, and the No. 24 Tar Heels walloped Miami 85-38 in a Play4Kay game on Sunday.
North Carolina led 28-2 after one quarter. The two points allowed was a record low for North Carolina in any quarter. Miami didn’t reach 28 points until the fourth quarter.
At one point in the second quarter Kelly made four consecutive 3-pointers in a 14-0 North Carolina run that put the Tar Heels ahead 53-10. They led 53-13 at halftime. The lead peaked at 47 three times in the fourth quarter, including the final margin.
Kennedy Todd-Williams scored a career-high 16 points for North Carolina (18-4, 8-4 ACC). Alyssa Ustby had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double this season and 11th in her career. Anya Poole added 10 points.
Miami made 1 of 17 shots in the first quarter, the two points coming on a layup by Ja’Leah Williams after North Carolina had scored the first nine points.
Kelsey Marshall led Miami (12-9, 5-6) with 15 points. No teammate scored more than six. Marshall and Lola Pendande, who scored six points, were the only Miami players to make more than one shot. The Hurricanes shot 27% overall, made 4 of 25 3-pointers, and were 4 for 9 from the free-throw line.
Play4Kay is a fundraising initiative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The intent is to encourage “players, coaches, officials, and fans to do something for the greater good that far exceeds wins and losses in competition,” according to kayyow.com.
Yow, the longtime coach at North Carolina State, won more than 700 games in her career, led her teams to 20 of 27 NCAA Tournaments, with 11 trips to the Sweet 16, and a trip to the Elite Eight and the Final Four in 1998.
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