Let It Breathe.

 

Some games are breezy like a good margarita. You can kick back, sip on it steadily, let the booze do its work, and wind up pleasantly buzzed off an easy W. Some, like walking into Arizona's home barn in the tourney last year and smoking them, require vigorously popping the champagne. Some are a shot of chartreuse: bitter and you're glad when it's finished. (See: last year's debacle against Georgia Tech.) Yesterday's road tilt at JMU, however, was a wine game. Sometimes you get the result you want only after opening the bottle and letting it breathe a bit.

This particular vintage, bottled in Harrisonburg, VA, carried strong top notes of last year's run-in with Boston College. This is to say that Carolina got into a rock fight with an inferior opponent, played uncharacteristically listless basketball for a stretch, and looked just generally out of sorts until about the third quarter. At which point, Deja Kelly did exactly what she did in Chestnut Hill last year: decided "We are absolutely the hell not losing this game," and made it so. The Heels trailed 34-30 at the break, and Kelly had heretofore only tallied two points. She came out of the half with a flamethrower, finishing with a team-high 22 along with five rebounds, two assists, and two thefts.

Deja was in position for those second-half pyrotechnics because Eva Hodgson and Alyssa Ustby absolutely balled out, keeping the Heels in it with 18 and 15 points respectively. Eva shot a a blazing 50% behind the arc, and tacked on two assists and a key rejection for good measure. 'Lys racked up eight boards, five dimes, and two blocks in another display of her supreme versatility. Anya Poole only notched six points but cleaned the glass with aplomb en route to 12 monster boards. Destiny Adams and Paulina Paris didn't flash much on offense, but played lovely defense for stretches, including Des continuing to demonstrate what is becoming something like a preternatural ability to jump passing lanes. Kennedy Todd-Williams had something of a quite night, notching a 8-2 line with a steal before succumbing to foul trouble, but she was her usual imposing presence defensively, keeping the Dukes' offense out of both rhythm and position on a number of vital possessions.

Teonni Key had four rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes, but given what we saw in the previous game, it feels safe to assume that she'll be a huge part of the rotation after she's gotten fully up to game speed. Malu Tshitenge only logged one minute of play, but I have to think a road dub was still a pretty good birthday gift. Happy belated, Lu!!!!!!!

Games like this aren't uncommon early in the season, and sometimes taking the win with plenty of areas to emphasize for improvement is better than an absolute blowout. The Heels have a stiff test ahead on Thanksgiving,  facing Oregon in what will amount to a home game for the Ducks at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, OR. Until then, they let it breathe, and we can all savor the bouquet of the first road win of the year and a 4-0 squad. Y'all be well, and as always, Go Heels!!!