Carolina held Villanova without a made field goal throughout the entire third quarter and led by as many as 21 points in the fourth on its way to a 53-36 win against the Wildcats in the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals on Sunday. The Tar Heels will play for the tournament title on Monday.

Alyssa Ustby needed just one half to record her second consecutive double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action. She finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, leading all players in boards and tying with teammate Lexi Donarski for the game high in points. Donarski finished 6-10 from the floor and 2-5 on three-pointers.

Every Tar Heel to play on the day scored at least one point, and all but Grace Townsend made a shot from the floor. UNC shot just 22-55 (40 percent) on the day, but its suffocating defense held the Wildcat offense to just 12-51 (23.5 percent) from the floor. Ustby and Donarski combined to make as many shots as the entire Villanova team.

After taking a 30-18 lead into the half, the Tar Heels held Villanova to only five points and no made field goals in the third quarter. That period saw UNC push the lead to 44-23 by the final buzzer, and Carolina extended the advantage to as large as 46-25 early in the fourth.

UNC’s 36 points allowed are by far its fewest on the 2024-25 season. It’s the first time Carolina has held an opponent to fewer than 40 points since December of 2023, and the first time the Tar Heels have done so to a major conference opponent since February of 2022.

Carolina is now 5-1 on the season and will face Indiana for the Battle 4 Atlantis title on Monday at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

 

Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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