UNC women’s basketball rebounded from its first loss of the season by earning an 82-68 win over Fairfield Saturday at the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Challenge in Las Vegas.
The No. 11 Tar Heels (3-1) grew into the game after a cold start, using a second half push to hand the Stags (3-1) their first loss of the season. Guard Laila Hull led Carolina off the bench with 14 points, which tied her career high, and most of which came from long distance. The redshirt sophomore finished the game 4 for 7 from three-point range, while none of her teammates made more than one. Hull was named MVP of the game by WBCA Challenge organizers and awarded a plaque afterward.
Four other Heels also earned double figures: Ciera Toomey (12 points), Nyla Brooks (12), Nyla Harris (12) and Indya Nivar (10).
Like how they lost their Thursday night matchup with No. 3 UCLA, the Tar Heels used their size and physicality to wear Fairfield and take control with strong third- and fourth-quarter performances. But the first quarter saw the reigning MAAC conference champion Stags go on an 11-0 run to lead 19-11. Carolina shot went 1 of 10 from the floor to end the opening frame — but quickly flipped the script to start the second.
A series of Fairfield turnovers helped lead to UNC baskets, with the Tar Heels quickly taking the lead 23-21. Courtney Banghart’s team forced Fairfield into 15 first half turnovers, which led to 16 Carolina points — most of which featured the senior captain Nivar on the bench with early foul trouble. Across the final seven minutes before halftime, UNC went on a 22-4 run to claim a 37-25 lead.
Fairfield — which returned some of the veteran talent that led to the program’s third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years — began the second half with a spirited response. Good three-point shooting by the Stags tightened the score up to 46-43 amid another cold spell by the Heels. But then a 13-0 run by UNC wrestled back full control of the game. The stretch featured a key sequence where Nivar made a fast-break layup while getting fouled and Harris cleaned up the missed free throw before making a layup herself. Nivar then stole a Fairfield pass and found Harris under the basket after a Stag defender slipped and fell, with the senior forward making the uncontested layup and marking six points in the span of 20 seconds.
Eventually, the Heels ended the quarter leading 59-45 and kept pushing to prevent Fairfield from getting back to a single-digit deficit. Banghart’s program opened their advantage up to 25 points with less than four minutes to go before she pulled UNC’s starters and Fairfield closed the game on a 10-2 run.
Despite its slow start, UNC finished shooting 42% from the field on Saturday and out-rebounded Fairfield by three after the Stags had early success on the glass. Carolina also ultimately forced 25 turnovers.
The Tar Heels are still working two key players back from injury: starting point guard Reniya Kelly and forward Blanca Thomas. Kelly played a season-high minutes against Fairfield, but struggled to find her scoring touch and finished with 5 points on 1 of 6 shooting. Thomas, meanwhile, did not play after logging ten minutes Thursday against the Bruins.
UNC women’s basketball will now return from the Las Vegas showcase to North Carolina, where it will take the short trip to Greensboro on Thursday to play at N.C. A&T. The game is slated to tip off at 7 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletics Communications/Carolina Women’s Basketball on X.
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