UNC used a 12-0 run in the second quarter to take a 19-point lead at halftime Sunday afternoon at Florida State, and the Tar Heels didn’t look back in the second half on their way to an 82-55 victory.
Elina Aarnisalo scored seven points during the run, which broke open what had been a 26-19 game and turned it into a 38-19 Carolina lead at the end of the first half. Against a smothering UNC defense, Florida State finished the half with more turnovers (nine) than made shots (six).
The defensive playmaking continued into the second half, with the Tar Heels allowing just 10 more made shots and forcing eight more turnovers. Florida State finished the day with a 28.6 (16-56) field goal percentage, the lowest allowed by UNC in five games in the month of January.
For the Carolina offense, four Tar Heels reached double figures. Lanie Grant led the way with 14 points, with all four of her made field goals coming on three-pointers. Nyla Harris (13 points) and Ciera Toomey (12) also scored in double figures, while Reniya Kelly followed up her career-best night against Miami Thursday night with 11 points Sunday. Though no Tar Heels finished with more than six rebounds, the team still commanded a 40-28 advantage on the glass. Thirteen of UNC’s rebounds came on the offensive end, which the Tar Heels turned into 20 second-chance points. Carolina also dominated points in the paint, scoring 28 to Florida State’s 12. The Tar Heels never trailed, leading more for than 39 of the game’s 40 minutes.
Sunday’s win is UNC’s second in a row following a two-game losing streak. The Tar Heels are now 15-5 overall and 4-3 in ACC play and will return to action Thursday night when they visit Georgia Tech in Atlanta at 8 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
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Banghart's Breakthrough?Courtney Banghart and UNC will need to be at their best in the home stretch of the regular season if they want to break through in the ACC.
UNC Basketball in the AP Poll: Men Rise to No. 11, Women Rise to No. 21After the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams each picked up big wins last week, both squads have risen in the latest edition of the AP Poll. The men’s team rose three spots to No. 11, while the women’s team rose four spots to No. 21. For the men, No. 11 is the team’s highest […]
UNC Women's Basketball Cruises Past Wake Forest for 7th Straight WinUNC used a 16-0 run in the first quarter to take control at Wake Forest Sunday afternoon and rolled from there to an 84-56 win against the Demon Deacons. It’s Carolina’s seventh win in a row and its 20th on the season. Keep it Rolling – 𝙎𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙉 Straight!@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/17TBFQQo3p — Carolina Women's Basketball […]
UNC Women's Basketball Grinds Past Clemson to Win 6th Straight GameUNC’s defense held Clemson without a made basket for the final 9:01 of Thursday’s game at Carmichael Arena, and the Tar Heels rode that lockdown performance to a 53-44 win against the Tigers. Tigers 𝙏𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿. Six straight wins!@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/MnAk9x3EC4 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) February 6, 2026 In a game where neither team […]
Financial Report Shows UNC Athletics Operated at $15 Million Deficit in 2024-25 YearThe newest financial report from the UNC athletic department to the NCAA shows the department operated at a deficit of more than $15 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department reported revenues of $172,951,034 and reported expenses of $187,967,260. The UNC athletic department had operated at a profit in each of the past three […]
UNC Basketball in the AP Poll: Men Up to No. 14, Women Back in at No. 25Both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams are ranked in the latest editions of the AP Poll, which were released Monday. The men (17-4, 5-3 ACC) rose two spots to No. 14, while the women (17-5, 6-3 ACC) are back in the poll at No. 25 after three consecutive weeks unranked. The men played […]
UNC Men's Basketball Rises to No. 16 in Latest AP PollAfter a home win against Notre Dame and a road win at then-No. 14 Virginia, UNC rose six spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll to No. 16 this week. UNC’s six-spot jump is the largest of any team in the poll. After dropping to No. 22 following road losses at unranked Stanford and […]
UNC Women's Basketball Outlasts Syracuse in Overtime for 4th Consecutive WinDespite UNC going the final 3:34 of regulation without a point and losing an eight-point lead in the final minutes, the Tar Heels did just enough in overtime to beat Syracuse 77-71 in overtime Sunday at Carmichael Arena. It’s UNC’s fourth straight win. 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗖 𝗛𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦 🩵@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/JxzP6hDOxf — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January […]
UNC Women's Basketball Beats Georgia Tech to Record 3rd Straight WinA dominant rebounding advantage and a suffocating defensive performance helped UNC beat Georgia Tech 54-46 in Atlanta Thursday night and record its third straight ACC win. Road 𝗗𝗨𝗕 Secured!@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/aU2R7eVHfx — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 23, 2026 UNC limited the Yellow Jackets to 31.7 percent shooting (18-57) for the game, doing just […]
UNC Women's Basketball Dominates in Win at Florida StateUNC used a 12-0 run in the second quarter to take a 19-point lead at halftime Sunday afternoon at Florida State, and the Tar Heels didn’t look back in the second half on their way to an 82-55 victory. Sunshine State 𝑺𝑾𝑬𝑷𝑻.@WellsFargo x #GoHeels pic.twitter.com/gWaSz43yRC — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 18, 2026 Elina Aarnisalo […]
›
