Lanie Grant scored a career-high 21 points and Nyla Harris recorded her fifth double-double of the season as No. 3 seed UNC beat No. 6 seed Virginia Tech 85-68 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Duluth, GA Friday night. The Tar Heels are into the semifinal round for the second consecutive season.
UNC’s 17-point win came after the Tar Heels trailed by five points at 16-11 after the first quarter. But the Carolina offense turned up the heat in the second, outscoring the Hokies 29-11 while shooting 9-16 (56.3 percent) from the field. UNC also drew eight Virginia Tech fouls in the quarter and shot 8-10 at the free throw line.
The second-quarter surge staked Carolina to a 40-27 lead at halftime, and the Hokies would never trim that advantage to lower than nine points for the rest of the night. The shotmaking of Grant helped UNC weather an 8-2 Virginia Tech run in the third quarter, and an 8-0 Carolina run late in the fourth extended the Tar Heel lead from 12 to 20, sealing the quarterfinal win.
For Grant, a Virginia native, her 21-point showing was her fourth double-figure scoring effort in the team’s last five games. That run started when Grant scored 12 points in UNC’s other meeting with Virginia Tech this season, a 66-63 overtime win in Blacksburg in February. Harris added 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 24 minutes, while Elina Aarnisalo stayed hot with 18 points, five rebounds and six assists. The UCLA transfer has reached double figures in five straight games and is averaging 20 points per game in her last three contests. Nyla Brooks added 10 points off the bench.
Friday’s win marks the first time UNC has defeated Virginia Tech twice in the same season under head coach Courtney Banghart. Carolina is now 26-6 overall and has won five consecutive games. Up next, UNC will advance to the semifinal round to face No. 2 seed Louisville Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Tar Heels fell to the Cardinals in overtime in Chapel Hill in the teams’ only other meeting this season.
Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter
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