Carolina couldn’t find a way through a stingy NC State defense Saturday afternoon in the ACC semifinals in Greensboro, as the Tar Heels posted their worst shooting day of the season in a 66-55 loss to the top-seeded Wolfpack.
“We just didn’t play very well,” said head coach Courtney Banghart after the game. “You can’t not play well in March… we just weren’t good enough today.”
NC State used a 21-0 run in the first half to take an early 16-point lead and led by as many as 17 points in the second quarter. UNC closed to within seven points at 33-26 at halftime but never got closer than that. The Wolfpack successfully kept the Tar Heels at arm’s length for the rest of the game and led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter.
UNC finished just 17-61 (27.9 percent) from the field and missed its final six shots. The 17 made field goals are tied for a season-low in a single game, while the field goal percentage is comfortably the worst in 34 games this season. The Tar Heels had not shot below 30 percent in any game.
Indya Nivar finished as UNC’s leading scorer with 13 points, all of which came in the fourth quarter. Maria Gakdeng finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, but no other Tar Heel reached double figures. Notably, starting guard Reniya Kelly finished with just two points and no assists. For NC State, Aziaha James finished with 19 points.
The loss drops UNC to 27-7 overall on the season. The Tar Heels will now await their NCAA Tournament bid, which will be announced Sunday, March 16. Carolina is projected to be a No. 4 seed in the tournament, which would mean the Tar Heels would host a group of four teams at Carmichael Arena. Carmichael has not hosted an NCAA Tournament game since 2015.
“We should get a cut of the taxes,” Banghart said, “because we’re helping the cost of living in the area just with how much on fire women’s basketball is and the investment people are making in women’s basketball. It’s remarkable.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Ben McKeown
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