No. 4 seed UNC outscored No. 5 Maryland 24-16 in the fourth quarter and beat the Terrapins 74-66 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 at Carmichael Arena Sunday afternoon. The Tar Heels now advance to the tournament’s Sweet 16, which will be played in Fort Worth, TX next week.
“I thought our Carmichael crowd really showed out,” head coach Courtney Banghart said afterward. “It was a really great environment. You can tell how loved this team is.”
That crowd saw UNC used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to flip a 10-4 Maryland lead into a 13-10 Tar Heel advantage. The Terrapins would nose in front 14-13 after four free throws, but Carolina reestablished the lead shortly after and extended it to as large as 11 points at 34-23 in the second quarter. UNC led 42-33 at halftime.
“We had to play a different way,” Banghart said. “We love to share the ball and space you out and beat you on the inside and attack you from the arc. And this team [Maryland] really wanted to go 1-on-1. And they wanted you to win your matchup. And I kept imploring them to win their matchup.”
Guards Elina Aarnisalo and Lanie Grant found consistent driving lanes off the dribble in the first half, as UNC’s backcourt tandem combined for 22 points with just two made three-pointers between them. Carolina, which is the leading three-point shooting team in the ACC, made just four threes in the game.
“We knew in this particular game that the lane was gonna be pretty open,” Grant said. “Teams are doing a really good job of getting out on the arc and contesting my three-point shots. Maryland did a great job of taking that away, so I just had to move to the next option.”
Carolina’s offense, which shot 17-30 (56.7 percent) in the first half, promptly dried up in the second against a pressuring Maryland defense. The Terrapins limited UNC to just eight points in the quarter, and the Tar Heels finished the period with more turnovers (five) than made shots. Maryland pounced on the opportunity, outscoring Carolina 17-8 in the quarter and tying the game at 50-50 entering the final 10 minutes. The Terrapins scored the first two points of the fourth quarter to take a 52-50 lead, its first since the score was 14-13.
“We knew that we needed to punch back,” said Indya Nivar, who finished with 11 points and six rebounds in her final game at Carmichael Arena. “They punched us… and we knew we had to respond.”
That response took the form of a 13-4 UNC run, capped by a Nivar jumper in the lane to give Carolina a 63-56 lead, its largest in more than 10 minutes of game time.
Maryland would stay close and cut that deficit back to three points at 65-62 in the final two minutes, but freshman Nyla Brooks delivered the dagger with an open three – UNC’s fourth and final of the game – to push the advantage back to six points.
“I think Nyla Brooks just hit the biggest shot of her entire collegiate career,” Grant said. “And there wasn’t a single doubt from anybody that the ball wasn’t gonna go in.”
“Open three, and I just took it,” Brooks said. “It’s March. You gotta do what you do best. I’ve been shooting the ball pretty well this season, and I just did that.”
Maryland would not get closer than six points for the remainder of the game. Brooks’ big shot capped off a six-point, eight-rebound day for the freshman. Grant and Aarnisalo combined for 41 points, while Nyla Harris added 14 points and eight rebounds in what was the final home game for the Louisville transfer. Harris’ inside presence helped the Tar Heels outscore the Terrapins 44-34 in the paint.
This is Carolina’s second consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16 and 20th overall. The Tar Heels are now 28-7 overall and will face either No. 9 Syracuse or No. 1 overall seed UConn in Fort Worth.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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