Carolina fell behind by 16 points at halftime and by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter against No. 25 Georgia Tech in its ACC opener at Carmichael Arena on Sunday, and the Tar Heels couldn’t quite claw back in an 82-76 loss.

The Yellow Jackets shot 18-32 (56.3 percent) in the first half and 30-58 (51.7 percent) for the game, with both Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie combining for 53 points. For the Tar Heels, the quartet of Maria Gakdeng, Reniya Kelly, Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar each scored at least 15 points, but no other teammate had more than three. Georgia Tech’s bench outscored UNC’s 34-7. The Yellow Jackets also dominated the rebounding battle, 41-24. Georgia Tech grabbed more defensive rebounds alone (28) than the Tar Heels had total rebounds.

UNC struggled shooting threes all afternoon, finishing just 9-29 overall and 3-15 in the second half. Carolina also missed eight free throws. The Tar Heels attempted a rally in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 unanswered points to cut a 68-47 deficit down to 68-58. But UNC never got closer than 74-66 until the final seconds of the game. Georgia Tech’s 82 points are by far the most given up by the Tar Heels all season; prior to Sunday, no opponent had even scored 70. The game also marked the first time this season an opponent has shot better than 50 percent against Carolina.

The loss snaps UNC’s seven-game winning streak and drops the Tar Heels to 10-2 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. Carolina will be back in action when it faces Florida at the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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 newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Basketball Falls to No. 2 Duke in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
UNC women’s basketball put up its worst offensive showing of the season in a 47-38 loss to No. 2 seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Friday afternoon in Birmingham, AL, ending Carolina’s tournament run. The poor showing came after an extremely bright start for the Tar Heels, who led 11-0 midway through the […]
UNC Women's Basketball in the 2025 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
No. 3 seed UNC is headed to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2022, and the Tar Heels will face No. 2 seed Duke in Birmingham, AL Friday for the right to advance to the regional finals Sunday. If you aren’t making the trip with the Tar Heels, here’s how to […]
Chansky's Notebook: Happening Again
UNC and Duke faced each other for the first time in the NCAA Tournament three years ago. It's happening again today with their women’s teams.
UNC Women's Basketball Opponent Breakdown: Duke
No. 3 seed UNC will face a familiar opponent in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Friday afternoon: No. 2 seed Duke, which defeated No. 15 Lehigh and No. 10 Oregon to reach the regional semifinals. The Blue Devils are 28-7 overall this season and finished 14-4 in ACC play. Here’s a quick breakdown of Duke: […]
Chansky's Notebook: Women Move On!
UNC's second-round win against West Virginia was a special home send-off for the team's seniors, including Alyssa Ustby.
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: West Virginia
UNC will take on No. 6 seed West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament’s second round Monday night for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The Mountaineers defeated No. 11 seed Columbia 78-59 in the first round Saturday and are 25-7 overall this season. They finished with a 13-5 record in the Big 12 […]
Ustby Sets Record as UNC Women's Basketball Beats Oregon State in NCAA Tournament
Alyssa Ustby scored 10 points and added nine rebounds to become UNC’s all-time leading rebounder as the No. 3 seed Tar Heels defeated No. 14 seed Oregon State 70-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Carmichael Arena Saturday afternoon. It was the first NCAA Tournament game to be played at Carmichael since […]
Chansky's Notebook: Hoops Galore
Between the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, the Triangle will be the capital of the college basketball world this weekend.
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Oregon State
UNC will host an NCAA Tournament game at Carmichael Arena for the first time in a decade Saturday afternoon, and the Tar Heels’ opponent will be No. 14 seed Oregon State. The Beavers enter the game with a 19-15 overall record and finished 12-8 in the West Coast Conference. If you aren’t familiar with Oregon […]
UNC Women's Basketball Earns No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Host Games at Carmichael Arena
The NCAA Tournament is coming back to Chapel Hill. The UNC women’s basketball team earned a No. 3 seed in the tournament field Sunday night and will host postseason games at Carmichael Arena for the first time since 2015. Joining the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill will be No. 6 seed West Virginia, No. 14 […]
›