Carolina built a lead as large as 15 points in the second half and held off a furious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought 69-67 win at Stanford on Sunday afternoon.

Five different Tar Heels scored in double figures, with Alyssa Ustby leading the way with 16 points. Maria Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski each scored 12 and Reniya Kelly and Grace Townsend both had 10. That well-rounded offense is what staked Carolina to a 20-12 lead after the first quarter, with threes from Indya Nivar – herself a former Stanford transfer – and Ustby setting the tone.

UNC extended that lead to as large as 10 points in the second quarter and used five points from Kelly in the final minute of the period to carry a 39-32 lead into halftime. A hot start from Ustby, in which she made two more three-pointers, ballooned the advantage to 53-38 with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter. The score stood at 59-48 entering the fourth.

Stanford raced out of the gate in the final period, clawing all the way back to tie the game at 62-62 with 3:52 to go. Carolina had managed only three points in the quarter’s first six minutes. Fortunately for the Tar Heels, Kelly answered right back with five more quick points, and Donarski made a layup with 2:10 to go to put UNC back up by seven, 69-62.

Stanford refused to quit, cutting the lead to 69-67 with 37 seconds remaining. But the Cardinal couldn’t find any more magic, as Nunu Agara missed a potential tying jumper in the final seconds to end the game. Agara finished with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds.

The win earns Carolina a distinctly modern honor, as the Tar Heels are the first ACC team to beat both Cal and Stanford on the road this season. The victory also improves UNC to 20-4 overall – matching the team’s win total from all of last season – and 8-3 in ACC play. Carolina will now have a week off before its next game, which will come at Clemson next Sunday at 2 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
‹
UNC Women's Basketball Falls to No. 2 Duke in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
UNC women’s basketball put up its worst offensive showing of the season in a 47-38 loss to No. 2 seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Friday afternoon in Birmingham, AL, ending Carolina’s tournament run. The poor showing came after an extremely bright start for the Tar Heels, who led 11-0 midway through the […]
UNC Women's Basketball in the 2025 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
No. 3 seed UNC is headed to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 2022, and the Tar Heels will face No. 2 seed Duke in Birmingham, AL Friday for the right to advance to the regional finals Sunday. If you aren’t making the trip with the Tar Heels, here’s how to […]
Chansky's Notebook: Happening Again
UNC and Duke faced each other for the first time in the NCAA Tournament three years ago. It's happening again today with their women’s teams.
UNC Women's Basketball Opponent Breakdown: Duke
No. 3 seed UNC will face a familiar opponent in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 Friday afternoon: No. 2 seed Duke, which defeated No. 15 Lehigh and No. 10 Oregon to reach the regional semifinals. The Blue Devils are 28-7 overall this season and finished 14-4 in ACC play. Here’s a quick breakdown of Duke: […]
Chansky's Notebook: Women Move On!
UNC's second-round win against West Virginia was a special home send-off for the team's seniors, including Alyssa Ustby.
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: West Virginia
UNC will take on No. 6 seed West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament’s second round Monday night for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. The Mountaineers defeated No. 11 seed Columbia 78-59 in the first round Saturday and are 25-7 overall this season. They finished with a 13-5 record in the Big 12 […]
Ustby Sets Record as UNC Women's Basketball Beats Oregon State in NCAA Tournament
Alyssa Ustby scored 10 points and added nine rebounds to become UNC’s all-time leading rebounder as the No. 3 seed Tar Heels defeated No. 14 seed Oregon State 70-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Carmichael Arena Saturday afternoon. It was the first NCAA Tournament game to be played at Carmichael since […]
Chansky's Notebook: Hoops Galore
Between the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, the Triangle will be the capital of the college basketball world this weekend.
UNC Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Opponent Breakdown: Oregon State
UNC will host an NCAA Tournament game at Carmichael Arena for the first time in a decade Saturday afternoon, and the Tar Heels’ opponent will be No. 14 seed Oregon State. The Beavers enter the game with a 19-15 overall record and finished 12-8 in the West Coast Conference. If you aren’t familiar with Oregon […]
UNC Women's Basketball Earns No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Host Games at Carmichael Arena
The NCAA Tournament is coming back to Chapel Hill. The UNC women’s basketball team earned a No. 3 seed in the tournament field Sunday night and will host postseason games at Carmichael Arena for the first time since 2015. Joining the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill will be No. 6 seed West Virginia, No. 14 […]
›