For the third time this season, the UNC women’s basketball team blew a double-digit lead in a 60-59 loss to Miami in the ACC Tournament’s second round on Thursday afternoon. This time, Carolina led by 14 in the first half but went through offensive doldrums in the second half as the Hurricanes rallied.

Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby each scored 15 for the Tar Heels, but it was Kelly who missed a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds. Carolina had three possessions in the last minute of play in which the Tar Heels could have taken the lead with a made shot, but turned the ball over twice before Kelly’s final miss. Kelly finished 6-20 from the floor.

UNC had led 34-20 in the second quarter after a 14-5 run, but Miami closed the half strong and made a half-court shot at the buzzer to cut the lead to 37-30. The Hurricanes kept that momentum going in the third quarter, outscoring Carolina 15-10 to trim the deficit to two points, 47-45.

Carolina looked ready to pull away early in the fourth after it extended the lead to 54-48, but Miami responded with a 12-1 run to take a 60-55 lead with 2:02 left. A pair of free throws from Lexi Donarski after an unsportsmanlike foul on Miami and a Kelly floater in rapid succession cut that lead to one point, but UNC would get no further.

In five seasons under head coach Courtney Banghart, Carolina has won only one ACC Tournament game. Thursday’s loss was the third in that same time span in which the Tar Heels have been the higher seed. Now, UNC will wait until the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 17 at 8 p.m. to find out where – or if – the team will be playing in the postseason.

 

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 in the 2024 ACC Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
The UNC women’s basketball team will begin play in the ACC Tournament on Thursday in Greensboro. The Tar Heels are the No. 8 seed in the field and will face No. 9 Miami in the second round. The winner of that game will face No. 1 Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals on Friday. If you […]
Here's the Complete Bracket for the 2024 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2024 ACC women’s basketball tournament begins on Wednesday in Greensboro and runs through Sunday. Come back to this page throughout the week for updates on the bracket! The championship game in the tournament is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 10 and will air on ESPN. Every other game of the 2024 ACC […]
Here's the Complete Bracket for the 2025 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2025 ACC women’s basketball tournament begins Wednesday in Greensboro and runs through Sunday. Check out the full bracket below, which will be updated throughout the week! Tickets for the tournament can be purchased through the ACC’s official ticket webpage. Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. […]
NC State Smothers UNC Women's Basketball in ACC Semifinals
Carolina couldn’t find a way through a stingy NC State defense Saturday afternoon in the ACC semifinals in Greensboro, as the Tar Heels posted their worst shooting day of the season in a 66-55 loss to the top-seeded Wolfpack. “We just didn’t play very well,” said head coach Courtney Banghart after the game. “You can’t […]
UNC Women's Basketball Fights Past Florida State, Advances to ACC Semifinals
A pair of clutch baskets from Reniya Kelly in her return to the court helped UNC overcome a poor shooting day and defeat No. 4 seed Florida State in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals in Greensboro Friday. The Tar Heels will advance to the ACC semifinals for the first time since 2014. 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 🩵 See […]
UNC Women's Basketball Uses Late Run to Beat Boston College in ACC Tournament
UNC ended the game on a 24-8 run to overcome a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and defeat No. 12 seed Boston College 78-71 in the second round of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro Thursday afternoon. 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘.#InPursuit x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/E3nJc3dPB3 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) March 6, 2025 The Tar Heels got […]
UNC Women's Basketball Outlasts Michigan State in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
No. 8 seed Carolina roared out to a fast start and endured a nervy finish to win 59-56 against No. 9 seed Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbia, S.C. on Friday afternoon. UNC will advance to the second round to face either No. 1 South Carolina or No. 16 […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Michigan State
The No. 8 seed UNC women’s basketball team will face No. 9 seed Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday morning in Columbia, S.C. The Spartans come in with a 22-8 overall record and 12-6 mark in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten. If you aren’t familiar with Michigan State’s body of […]
UNC Women's Basketball Earns No. 8 Seed in Albany 1 Regional of NCAA Tournament
Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels are back in the Big Dance. The UNC women’s basketball team will play as the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Albany 1 Regional. Carolina will face No. 9 seed Michigan State in Columbia, S.C. in the first round on Friday at 11:30 a.m. The winner will almost […]
UNC's Deja Kelly Named 1st Team All-ACC; Alyssa Ustby 2nd Team
Two UNC women’s basketball stars earned all-conference honors from the ACC on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Deja Kelly was named first team All-ACC, while fellow senior Alyssa Ustby earned second team honors. Conference honors for our captains 🤩 🔗 https://t.co/rs0S4ChyVw#GoHeels | @dejakelly25 | @alyssaustby pic.twitter.com/hLnje2Hhc0 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) March 5, 2024 It’s the third […]
›