Comeback Falls Short as UNC Women's Basketball Loses at Florida State

The UNC women’s basketball team couldn’t quite overcome a 21-point second-half deficit to No. 21 Florida State in Tallahassee Thursday night, as the Seminoles staved off a late comeback bid to beat the No. 20 Tar Heels 70-62.

Florida State jumped on Carolina early, leading 13-4 midway through the first quarter and 41-26 at halftime. The Tar Heels shot 12-39 (30.8 percent) as a team in the first half, made only one three and shot a mere 1-2 at the foul line. Ironically, guard Deja Kelly was able to snap out of a recent scoring slump, contributing 11 points in the half after totaling just 13 in the previous two games combined. By contrast, the Seminoles knocked down eight threes to build the lead.

“They were really aggressive, and the basket looked really big for them,” said head coach Courtney Banghart. “I think it stunned our guys. It affected how we played offense.”

That advantage ballooned to 21 points at 49-28 midway through the third, but Carolina stabilized on the strength of a pair of threes from Paulina Paris. Carolina closed the third quarter on a 13-5 run to cut the deficit to 58-47. That momentum continued into the fourth, as Indya Nivar and Kelly scored Carolina’s first 10 points. A layup from Kelly cut the lead to 63-57, but she fouled out shortly after. She ended her night with 23 points, one off her season high.

The Tar Heels continued to push in Kelly’s absence, getting as close as 65-62 with 1:41 remaining. But consecutive baskets from Florida State’s Makayla Timpson, combined with a Paris turnover, salted the game away.

The Seminoles finished the game with a lower shooting percentage than the Tar Heels, but made 10 threes compared to just three from Carolina. UNC’s top outside shooter, Lexi Donarski, scored just three points and shot 1-10 from the field (1-6 on threes). Carolina continued to struggle from the line, shooting 7-13 on free throws. Florida State shot 16-18. Still, Banghart said she sees positives in her team’s second-half rally.

“I leave this game more hopeful,” she said. “I don’t like giving away opportunities. Every game we play on our schedule is an opportunity, so this feels like we gave one away. But Florida State’s a really good team. We knew we had a big challenge. I’m even more inspired by what’s in that locker room after a night like tonight.”

The loss is Carolina’s first in ACC play and drops the team to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Tar Heels will be back in action on Sunday when they host Virginia at Carmichael Arena at 4 p.m.

Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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Comeback Falls Short as UNC Women’s Basketball Loses at Florida State

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