Courtney Banghart earned her first ACC Tournament win in four seasons as the UNC head coach Thursday night, as No. 7 seed Carolina defeated No. 10 seed Clemson 68-58 in the tournament’s second round in Greensboro.

Four UNC starters scored in double figures in a balanced offensive effort. Junior wing Alyssa Ustby led the way with 15 points, while also grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists, nabbing two steals and blocking a shot in an all-around performance. It marked the first time Ustby has scored in double figures since returning from an injury which kept her out most of February.

Eva Hodgson, who returned at the same time as Ustby but missed more games, scored 13 points on 4-7 shooting, all from behind the three-point line. Hodgson had scored just two combined points in her two previous games and hadn’t made a shot from the floor in that time. Guards Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Carolina took a seven-point lead in the first quarter and extended it to as large as 12 points in the first half. Clemson managed to stay in the game and never trailed by more than 14 points in the second half, but also were never able to cut the lead lower than seven points for the remainder of the game. The UNC defense held the Tigers to just 37.9 percent shooting in the second half. Much of Clemson’s offense came from star Amari Robinson, who poured in 27 points on 9-12 shooting and a 7-7 performance at the foul line. Outside of her, though, the Tigers shot just 12-42 from the floor.

The win sets up a third meeting of the season between Carolina and Duke, the No. 2 seed in the tournament field. It’s also the second meeting in less than a week, as the Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 45-41 in Durham last Sunday to deny Duke a shot at an ACC regular-season crown. Under Banghart, Carolina has not advanced past the ACC quarterfinals, and hasn’t done so at all since the 2013-14 season. Ironically, that ACC Tournament run ended with a semifinal loss to Duke.

Tip-off of Friday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Greensboro. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.

 

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 biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Women's Basketball Falls to No. 1 UConn in NCAA Sweet 16
UNC could not generate enough offense to run with No. 1 UConn in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, TX Friday evening, falling to the undefeated Huskies 63-42. The Tar Heels’ season is over in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. The Tar Heels struggled against a suffocating UConn defense all […]
UNC Women's Basketball in the 2026 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
Carolina will compete in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Tar Heels will face No. 1 overall seed and defending champion UConn in Fort Worth, TX Friday. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how you can follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: UConn
UNC will play in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the second consecutive season Friday in Fort Worth, TX. If Carolina wants to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014, it will have to spring a major upset over the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed and defending champion: UConn. The Huskies are […]
Chansky's Notebook: On the Rise
Courtney Banghart has the pieces in place to take the UNC women's basketball program to the next level in the coming years.
UNC Women's Basketball Beats No. 5 Seed Maryland to Advance to NCAA Sweet 16
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. SO 𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏. pic.twitter.com/ZfyaHTTQsx — Carolina […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Maryland
No. 4 seed UNC will face No. 5 seed Maryland Sunday at Carmichael Arena with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will play in the regional semifinals in Fort Worth, TX next week. Carolina is seeking its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. The Terrapins defeated No. 12 seed […]
UNC Women's Basketball Throttles Western Illinois in NCAA Tournament 1st Round
UNC’s defense limited Western Illinois to just 17 made shots in 40 minutes as the No. 4 seeded Tar Heels defeated the No. 13 Leathernecks 82-51 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday in Carmichael Arena. It’s Carolina’s fifth consecutive win in the tournament’s Round of 64 under head coach Courtney Banghart. Round […]
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Western Illinois
Carolina will host NCAA Tournament action at Carmichael Arena for the second consecutive season this weekend. And it all begins for the No. 4 seed Tar Heels with a matchup against No. 13 seed Western Illinois Friday. The Leathernecks enter the tournament with a 26-5 overall record and won the Ohio Valley Conference championship. Here’s […]
UNC Women's Basketball Signee Kate Harpring Named National High School Player of the Year
Incoming UNC women’s basketball signee Kate Harpring was named the 2026 Naismith Girls’ High School Player of the Year Tuesday. Harpring will join the Tar Heels for the 2026-27 season. Crown 𝗛𝗘𝗥. 👑 pic.twitter.com/EqMDaR949n — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) March 17, 2026 The award comes after Harpring led Marist Academy in Atlanta to its second […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Reward
As it turns out, UNC women’s basketball fans will get at least one more look at the Tar Heels on their home floor.
›