The cold of a December evening in Minnesota did nothing to cool down the UNC women’s basketball team’s hot start.

Carolina fought through a tough Golden Gophers side Wednesday night, using a terrific homecoming performance from sophomore forward Alyssa Ustby to take an 82-76 victory and move to 7-0 this season.

 

Ustby, who went to high school just down the road from Minneapolis in Rochester, MN, posted her fourth double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. She scored 15 of those points in the first half, equaling the highest individual output by a Tar Heel in a single half this season.

In a change from Carolina’s wins in the Goombay Splash event, Banghart used a tight rotation against the Gophers, playing only seven players during the game. Six of those players logged 27 or more minutes, all of whom scored in double figures.

Sophomore guard Deja Kelly knocked in 15 points, and earned herself a lifetime highlight at the end of the third quarter. Minnesota had erased a 12-point first half lead for Carolina to even the score at 55-55 with just seconds to go. Kelly received a pass from teammate Anya Poole with three seconds remaining in the period and sprinted up the floor. Just before the clock expired, Kelly flung a three-quarter court shot toward the basket. It went straight in as the buzzer sounded, giving UNC a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and stealing momentum back from the Gophers.

Minnesota wouldn’t get that close to the Tar Heels again, with clutch baskets from sophomore guard Kennedy Todd-Williams holding off the hosts down the stretch. Todd-Williams finished with 11 points on 4-8 shooting.

The win is UNC’s fifth away from Carmichael Arena this season, and their third in a true road environment. Their next matchup will come back within the friendly confines of Chapel Hill, when James Madison visits on Sunday afternoon.

“When I knew that we had five of our first seven on the road, with three against Power 5 teams, I didn’t know where we’d be,” Banghart said. “I like where we are… It was one of those games that we didn’t finish well, we didn’t shoot well and every time we got a lead they bounced back and gave us some good fight. It was just a really gritty effort.”

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters

Related Stories
‹
Virginia Transfer Gabby White, Daughter of UNC Assistant Joanne Aluka-White, Commits to Tar Heels
Virginia guard Gabby White, who spent her freshman season with the Cavaliers, announced her commitment to join UNC out of the transfer portal Tuesday morning. View this post on Instagram White has strong local connections. A star at Seaforth High School in Pittsboro, White scored more than 1,900 career points and grabbed more than 1,100 […]
Atlanta Dream Select UNC's Indya Nivar in 2nd Round of WNBA Draft
The Atlanta Dream selected former UNC standout Indya Nivar with the 28th pick in the second round of the WNBA Draft Monday night. League HER. Indya is headed to Atlanta! pic.twitter.com/sa5gaRDYy8 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) April 14, 2026 Originally from Apex, Nivar was named the North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year and the […]
Stanford Transfer Chloe Clardy Commits to UNC Women's Basketball
A third transfer is joining the UNC women’s basketball program. Chloe Clardy, who spent the first three seasons of her career at Stanford, committed to the Tar Heels Sunday. God’s plan🩵 #committed pic.twitter.com/DA3szvt0Da — Chloe Clardy (@chloeclardy13) April 12, 2026 Clardy became a prominent player in the Cardinal’s rotation as a sophomore, starting 18 games […]
Syracuse Transfer Sophie Burrows Announces Commitment to UNC
Sophie Burrows, who spent her first three college seasons at Syracuse, committed to UNC out of the transfer portal Saturday. View this post on Instagram Originally from Australia, Burrows is an ACC veteran, having started 65 games across three seasons for the Orange. After earning four starts as a true freshman in the 2023-24 season, […]
Oklahoma State Transfer Achol Akot Commits to UNC Women's Basketball
Achol Akot, who spent the 2025-26 season with Oklahoma State, announced her commitment to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC out of the transfer portal Friday. Akot will have one year of eligibility remaining. View this post on Instagram Before Oklahoma State, Akot spent the first two seasons of her collegiate career at UCF. She […]
UNC's Elina Aarnisalo Entering Transfer Portal After 1 Year in Chapel Hill
Sophomore guard Elina Aarnisalo, who transferred to UNC for the 2025-26 season after spending her freshman year at UCLA, is entering the transfer portal once again. According to Talia Goodman of On3 Sports, Aarnisalo entered the portal with a “Do Not Contact” tag. BREAKING: North Carolina’s Elina Aarnisalo has entered the transfer portal with a […]
UNC Freshman Taliyah Henderson to Enter Transfer Portal
Taliyah Henderson, who spent her freshman season with UNC, has announced her intention to enter the transfer portal when it opens Monday, April 6. Henderson made the announcement on social media Thursday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/yQoYiWcE8a — Taliyah Henderson (@taliyah_hend3) April 2, 2026 Henderson was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 27 overall player in […]
UNC Sophomore Guard Lanie Grant to Enter Transfer Portal
Sophomore guard Lanie Grant, who helped lead UNC to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2025 and 2026, will enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens Monday, April 6. Grant made the announcement on social media Wednesday evening. Proud of everything we accomplished over the past two years with my teammates and coaches, and so […]
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 […]
›