Alyssa Ustby scored 18 points and stuffed the stat sheet as Carolina opened the 2024-25 season with an 83-53 win against Charleston Southern at Carmichael Arena on Monday.

Ustby, playing in her final season as a Tar Heel, added eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks to her team-high 18 points. The fifth-year senior played 24 minutes.

Lexi Donarski and Arizona State transfer Trayanna Crisp also scored in double figures, with Crisp contributing 11 points on 4-6 shooting in just 14 minutes off the bench. The depth of head coach Courtney Banghart’s roster was on full display, with 12 different players registering minutes. Eleven different players scored. Maria Gakdeng (four points), Reniya Kelly (nine points) and Richmond transfer Grace Townsend (six points) rounded out UNC’s starting lineup with Ustby and Donarski.

Carolina shot 35-76 (46.1 percent) as a team and 6-28 (21.4 percent) on three-pointers, though Ustby did make one of her three attempts. She made just three threes during the entirety of last season.

UNC’s freshmen trio of Lanie Grant, Jordan Zubich and Blanca Thomas all played at least 13 minutes. Thomas made her presence known in the paint, scoring eight points on 4-6 shooting, grabbing six rebounds and blocking a shot in 16 minutes. A six-foot, five-inch forward from Charlotte, Thomas was ranked as the No. 32 player in the 2024 recruiting class by ESPN.

Only two rostered players did not see time: Indya Nivar and Kayla McPherson both missed Monday’s game, with Nivar wearing a boot on her left foot. The program classified Nivar as day-to-day. McPherson missed most of the 2023-24 season with a lower-body injury from which she is still recovering.

This is the seventh straight season in which Carolina has won its opening game. The 1-0 Tar Heels will be back in action on Thursday when they host UNC-Wilmington in Chapel Hill at 7 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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