UNC rang in the New Year by outscoring Cal 39-21 in the second half to beat the Bears 71-55 at Carmichael Arena Thursday afternoon.

The Tar Heels led 9-0 inside the first three minutes, but Cal closed the quarter strong and led 17-14 after 10 minutes. The Bears extended that lead to four points in the second quarter and five in the third, but baskets from Lanie Grant, Indya Nivar and Reniya Kelly sparked a 10-2 Carolina run to turn a 43-40 deficit into a 50-45 lead in the third quarter’s final minute.

Kelly and Nivar were back at it in the fourth, combining with teammate Taissa Queiroz to score the period’s first eight points. UNC led 58-47, then got more baskets from Queiroz and Nivar to push the advantage to 13 points at 62-49. Cal only made four total shots in the final 10 minutes, and Carolina eventually led by as many as 18 points.

UNC shot 17-33 (51.5 percent) in the second half and 10-17 (58.8 percent) in the fourth quarter, whereas Cal shot just 9-26 (34.6 percent) in the half and 1-10 on three-pointers. The Bears had made six of nine three-point attempts in the first half.

Nivar led the Tar Heels in both points (16) and assists (six), while Ciera Toomey and Nyla Harris each scored 13. Queiroz’s six points off the bench tied a career-high for the Brazilian national. She accounted for more than half of Carolina’s 11 bench points. As a team, UNC outscored Cal 50-26 in the paint and 12-2 on fast breaks.

The win is UNC’s fourth in a row and improves the team’s record to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in ACC play. Carolina is also 7-1 in Carmichael Arena. The Tar Heels will look to build on that record when they host Stanford in Chapel Hill Sunday afternoon at 1 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 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 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
Carolina will host NCAA Tournament action at Carmichael Arena this week for the second consecutive season. The No. 4 seed Tar Heels will face No. 5 Maryland in Sunday’s second round, with the winner advancing to the Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, TX. If you aren’t attending the game in person, here’s how you can […]
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.
UNC Women's Basketball Receives No. 4 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Host Games in Chapel Hill
Carmichael Arena will host NCAA Tournament action for the second consecutive season. UNC was revealed as a top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, meaning the Tar Heels will host first- and second-round matchups in Chapel Hill. Carolina will face No. 13 seed Western Illinois in the tournament’s first round Friday. The winner of […]
UNC Men's Basketball Receives No. 6 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Face No. 11 VCU in Greenville
The Tar Heels are dancing. Carolina received a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region Sunday evening. The Tar Heels will play No. 11 seed VCU in the tournament’s first round Thursday in Greenville, S.C. The winner of the UNC vs. VCU game will play the winner of No. 3 seed Illinois and […]
UNC Basketball in the AP Poll: Women Up to No. 15, Men Down to No. 19
Both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams made moves in the most recent AP Polls, which were released Monday. The women’s team moved up one spot to No. 15, while the men’s team slipped two spots to No. 19. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels dropped after splitting their final two games of […]
›