Hot Shooting University of North Carolina Upsets NC State

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Five Tar Heels hit double figures as the North Carolina women’s basketball team knocked off No. 6 NC State Thursday night, 80-70 at Carmichael Arena. The victory is UNC’s highest-ranked win of the season and improved Carolina to 18-9 overall and 10-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

“Any win in the ACC is a great win,” said UNC coach Courtney Banghart, whose team lost four in a row before now reeling off three straight wins. “This is a resilient group, and I’m happy for them.”

Graduate student Lexi Donarski scored 23 points, matching her high as a Tar Heel, hitting five three-pointers on nine attempts. Senior Alyssa Ustby scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for her 15th double-double of the season and fifth in the past six games.

Junior Maria Gakdeng scored 12, including six in the fourth quarter when she went 3-3 from the field. Senior Alexandra Zelaya scored a career-high 12 points off the bench on a career-best four three-pointers. Sophomore Indya Nivar added 11, also off the bench, as the Tar Heels got their highest production from the nonstarters (23 points) in more than a month.

NC State jumped out front early and held its biggest lead of the game, seven, midway through the first quarter. But the Tar Heels closed the period with a 7-0 run and led 22-20 heading into the second.

Coming into the game, UNC hadn’t won the second quarter in a single ACC game this season, tying once and trailing in the other 13. This time, the Tar Heels managed to extend their lead, going into halftime up seven, 42-35. It marked Carolina’s highest score in an ACC first half this season.

NC State got as close as three at two points in the third quarter, the second on a three by Saniya Rivers to make it 54-51 with 3:07 remaining in the period. But the Tar Heels closed out the quarter with seven points in a row to take a double-digit lead into the fourth.

The home team held its biggest lead of the game, 14 after a Donarski three with 7:30 to play. NC State got within eight after that but never closer as the Tar Heels avenged a four-point loss in Raleigh three weeks ago.

UNC tied its season high with 11 three-pointers on 21 attempts for a .524 shooting percentage from long range, the team’s best of the year.

Senior Deja Kelly got into triple-double territory with nine points, eight assists (equaling her career high), and seven rebounds. She also had three steals and didn’t commit a single turnover in 38:23 on the court.

As a team, Carolina went from its highest number of turnovers – 24 ¬– in Sunday’s win at Wake Forest to committing just seven on Thursday, a season-low in ACC play and one away from the lowest of the year.

Aziaha James led the Wolfpack (23-4, 11-4) with 24 points, while Mimi Collins added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rivers finished with 13 points, and Madison Hayes had 11.