The No. 5 seed UNC women’s basketball team’s season came to an end inside a raucous Greensboro Coliseum Friday night, as the Tar Heels gave the No. 1 overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks all they could muster, but couldn’t quite get over the hump in a 69-61 loss. It’s the second straight Sweet 16 appearance for the program which has ended in a loss to South Carolina in Greensboro.
Final from Greensboro ⤵️#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/CZYLWqS5CS
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) March 26, 2022
“I asked these guys to give me both their head and their heart all year long, and that’s what they did,” said head coach Courtney Banghart. “Not only did they earn this moment, but they showed who they are, as they have all year. This is the team I see every day all year. I’m glad everybody else got to see them now, too.”
The Tar Heels led by a point after a back-and-forth first quarter, one which saw South Carolina jump in front 11-2 but UNC end the period up 23-22. Sophomore guard Deja Kelly had eight points in the quarter, putting her well on her way to another outstanding scoring night. She ended the game with a team-high 23.
“I got some energy from the crowd,” said graduate wing Carlie Littlefield. “Just really happy to see all that Carolina Blue in the stands, and I know we made them proud.”
“The crowd was loud. It was exciting,” said Kelly. “It was exciting when everything was going good for us, and they were still cheering when things weren’t going as well.”
Things didn’t go as well in the second quarter, as South Carolina turned the screws defensively, allowing only one basket from UNC in those 10 minutes and winning the period 17-8. The Gamecocks’ Zia Cooke caught fire in the quarter, scoring 10 of her 15 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Meanwhile, South Carolina’s All-American forward Aliyah Boston asserted her presence down low, grabbing 10 rebounds, six on the offensive end, in the first half.
“Great player to have on your team,” Banghart said of Boston. “The basket must look like an ocean because… it either goes in or she gets it. She’s just a premier player. She’s generational.”
The Gamecocks led 39-31 at halftime, and extended that lead to as large as 13 points at 58-45 in the fourth quarter on another basket from Boston. UNC continued to fight, using seven points from Kelly to stay in it. A circus layup from Kennedy Todd-Williams cut the lead down to five points at 61-56, and Littlefield had an open three rim out in transition which could have cut it to two. On the other end, Boston grabbed yet another offensive rebound off a Gamecock miss and converted the putback. Boston flexed her muscles throughout the fourth quarter, scoring every one of South Carolina’s 16 points. She finished with a monumental line of 28 points and 22 rebounds, the first 20-20 game of her career.
“I wish she was old enough to go to the pro,” Banghart said with a wry smile. “I would be sitting in the front row celebrating… because I think I’ve seen enough. I had one chance, and I’ve seen enough of Aliyah Boston.”
The Tar Heels can look back at missed opportunities late in the game as the nail in the coffin. Littlefield missed two free throws while down four points with under two minutes left, and UNC wouldn’t get any closer than that for the rest of the game. A turnover with 46 seconds left, UNC’s seventh of the half, effectively put the loss on ice.
Only sophomore forward Alexandra Zelaya joined Kelly in double figures, scoring 10 points off the bench. Sophomore Alyssa Ustby finished with just four points on 2-11 shooting, nine points below her season average of 13.2 per game.
“That is going to bother her like no one’s business,” said Banghart. “If there were hoops [in the press room], she would be on them right now.
“She’s a year away,” Banghart continued. “She needs another year of development to handle an equal athlete because, in her credit, she doesn’t have a lot of equal athletes in her life… For her, she’ll just have to continue to work on her skill, which she’ll do.”
Despite the loss, Banghart and the Tar Heels can still celebrate a renaissance season for the program, one which saw the Tar Heels win 25 games and appear in the Sweet 16 for the first time in seven years. With three injured players set to be ready for next season and star recruit Paulina Paris on the way, things are looking up inside Carmichael Arena.
“For me to have an opportunity to lead a program like this and to have the right people on the right stage is always gratifying,” said Banghart. “So I think we’ve done a really good job. I think the right people are doing things the right way, and the big picture is always important. It’s just… I think it will be easier for me in a couple of days.”
Featured image via The State/Tracy Glantz
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