It was substance over style at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon.
Courtney Banghart said it best after her No. 22 Tar Heels knocked off 11th-ranked and archrival N.C. State, 56-47, in a game when neither team could find the basket consistently
“We don’t really care how the game goes, as long as we have one more point than the other team, which we did,” she said. “We’re certainly happy to have another ranked win under our belt.”
The UNC women rebounded from a four-game losing streak by beating No. 4 Notre Dame, Virginia and the Wolfpack to bolster their NCAA tournament resume with a fourth victory over a ranked team this season. The Heels are now 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC.
Carmichael was slam sold out with fans, students and celebrities from the Tar Heel pantheon that included Mack and Sally Brown and Roy Williams to support a coach who has captured the hearts and minds of Carolina fans all over the state.
It wasn’t pretty for sure, as the ESPN national television audience might have taken Banghart seriously after her team recorded its lowest point total of the season and shot only 29.7 percent from the floor.
“We kept it interesting,” Banghart said. “I’m sure there were some people that were questioning if either team ever practiced offense.”
Just like in the dramatic comeback win at Virginia Thursday night, the Tar Heels caught fire in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Wolfpack 25-15 by shooting 58 percent behind Kennedy Todd-Williams, Alyssa Ustby, freshman Paulina Paris and sophomore Destiny Adams, who scored eight points in just under two minutes on a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers that gave Carolina a seven-point lead with 91 seconds to remaining.
UNC won the rebounding battle for the first time this season in ACC play, with Ustby hauling in a career-high 18 boards as Carolina outrebounded State 45-41. Todd-Williams had a team-best 15 points, eight in the fourth quarter, and was the only Tar Heel in double figures.
But as their coach said, getting the W mattered most as Carolina tries to keep pace with the loaded ACC this season. This is a helluva rivalry week with No. 16 Duke (16-1 and 6-0) coming to town Thursday night in what should be another sell-out on “Blue Night” at Blue Heaven.
Be there.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines