Carolina took control in the second quarter and didn’t look back against Indiana in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game on Monday afternoon, running away from the Hoosiers in the second half to win 69-39 and take the tournament title.

UNC did damage from deep all afternoon, raining in a season-high 11 three-pointers. Eight of those threes came from Ciera Toomey and Trayanna Crisp, who combined for 24 points off the bench. All of Crisp’s made five baskets were threes, and her 15 points tied with Indya Nivar for the team lead.

The lopsided final score belied a competitive first quarter, during which the Hoosiers scored the game’s first five points. UNC erased the early deficit thanks to five points from Nivar and Crisp’s first three of the day, and Carolina led 11-10 after 10 minutes.

Crisp continued to cook in the second, making three more threes to help the Tar Heels extend the lead to as many as nine points at 32-23. Toomey and Lanie Grant each also made threes in the period, which ended with Carolina leading by six entering halftime.

The lead ballooned in the second half, with UNC outscoring the Hoosiers 22-7 in the third quarter and 15-6 in the fourth. The Tar Heel defense held Indiana to only five made shots in the second half and a 20.8 (5-24) shooting percentage. Meanwhile, Carolina made four more threes to push the lead to as large as 32 points in the final minute.

UNC finished with 47 rebounds to Indiana’s 31, with Alyssa Ustby grabbing a game-high 13. Ustby finished with nine points, one shy of registering her third double-double in three games. The preseason All-ACC honoree added five assists and a steal in 25 minutes and was named tournament MVP. Crisp earned All-Tournament honors as well.

The win is Carolina’s second holiday tournament title in three years, with the Tar Heels also winning the Phil Knight Invitational in 2022. UNC now moves to 6-1 overall and will return home to host North Carolina Central at Carmichael Arena on Friday at 2 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Tim Aylen

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