In its last game before heading down to Mexico for a three-game event during the Thanksgiving holiday, Carolina dominated UNC-Greensboro at Carmichael Arena Sunday night and cruised to a 94-48 win.
UNC set the tone early by jumping out to a 10-2 lead inside five minutes and extending that lead to as large as 23-5 before the first quarter buzzer sounded. Starting guards Lanie Grant and Elina Aarnisalo combined for 12 points in the period.
It was more of the same for the Tar Heel offense in the second quarter, as UNC made 11 of 15 shots from the floor. Freshman Nyla Brooks made all three of her field goal attempts, including a pair of threes. At the half, UNC was shooting a red-hot 20-32 (62.5 percent) overall.
Ciera Toomey came alive after halftime, scoring 11 of her career-high 19 points in the third quarter while only missing one shot. She paced a Carolina offense which continued to sizzle, shooting 9-14 (64.3 percent) in the third quarter and 10-13 (76.9 percent) in the fourth, good for an astounding 19-27 (70.4 percent) in the second half as a whole. UNC’s 39-59 (66.1 percent) shooting performance across the entire game is its best in head coach Courtney Banghart’s seven seasons in Chapel Hill.
Toomey was one of five Tar Heels to reach double figures, with Brooks also netting a career-high 18 points on a perfect 7-7 shooting. Aarnisalo and freshman Taliyah Henderson each added 13, while Indya Nivar scored 10.
The win is UNC’s third in a row and improves the Tar Heels to 5-1 overall on the season. Up next, Carolina will take part in the 2025 Cancun Challenge in Mexico, which begins Thanksgiving Day at 11 a.m. UNC opens against South Dakota State and then will face Kansas State Friday and Columbia Saturday.
Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter
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