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.
Lanie Grant, Nyla Harris, Indya Nivar and Nyla Brooks combined for 57 of UNC’s 82 points. Carolina won comfortably despite struggling on three-point attempts; UNC shot just 10-40 (25.0 percent) from deep after finishing the season as the ACC’s leading three-point shooting team. The Tar Heels were much more efficient on two-pointers, shooting 20-29 (68.9 percent). Harris recorded her sixth double-double of the season, combining her 17 points with a game-high 12 rebounds.
For Western Illinois, leading scorer Mia Nicastro scored 21 points but was limited in her efficiency. Nicastro, who entered the day as the NCAA’s fourth leading scorer at better than 24 points per game, shot 6-15 from the field.
Carolina controlled the paint, outrebounding the Leathernecks 47-32 and scoring 38 paint points to Western Illinois’ 10. UNC also scored 16 second-chance points compared to the Leathernecks’ five. The Tar Heel defense also limited Western Illinois’ outside shooting, as the Leathernecks made just two three-pointers on the day. It’s the sixth time this season UNC has limited a team to two or fewer three-point makes.
The Tar Heels led 38-24 at halftime, then blew the game open by outscoring Western Illinois 17-3 in the first 6:40 of the second half. Grant and Aarnisalo each made threes during the run.
With Friday’s win, Carolina is now 25-1 in NCAA Tournament games played in Chapel Hill. Up next, the Tar Heels will face No. 5 seed Maryland, which defeated No. 12 Murray State in the day’s first game in Chapel Hill, Sunday. The winner of that game will advance to the Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, TX.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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 Law Students Use Spring Break to Provide Legal Aid, Reassurance to Hurricane Helene VictimsWhile UNC was on spring break in mid-March, eight law students helped hold clinics in western North Carolina offering pro bono services.
New UNC Humanities Scholarship Formed by $10 Million GiftStephen Israel, a UNC graduate in the Class of 1966, gifted $10 million to create a new undergraduate humanities scholarship.
UNC Names James W.C. White Next Dean for College of Arts and SciencesAfter an extended search, and the official retirement of its current leader, the UNC College of Arts and Sciences has its newest dean. The university announced James W.C. White, a climate researcher, will lead the largest unit of Chapel Hill’s campus. White served as the acting dean at the University of Colorado’s College of Arts […]
UNC Makes Interim Dean for College of Arts & Sciences PermanentUNC announced it has selected the next permanent dean for the university’s College of Arts & Sciences. Terry Rhodes, who has been serving in the interim role since Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz left the position, will effectively become the permanent dean on Sunday, March 1. Rhodes, who previously served as the senior associate dean for fine […]
U.S. Senate Confirms UNC Law Professor as District Court Judge, Ending 14 Year VacancyThe nation’s longest federal court vacancy has finally ended with the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of a UNC law professor to a District Court judgeship in eastern North Carolina. The chamber agreed to confirm Richard E. Myers in a bipartisan vote on Thursday. The seat had been vacant since a judge moved to semi-retirement status at the […]
UNC Black Law Student Association Hosts Panel on Race and Justice SystemLaw professionals visited UNC for a panel inspired by the Netflix series ‘When They See Us’ last week. ‘When They See Us’ tells the story of the Central Park Five, a group of African-American men who were wrongly convicted for assaulting a jogger in New York City in 1989. The series is a dramatic depiction […]
![]()
UNC Receives $1.5 Million Grant for Humanities InitiativeUNC’s College of Arts and Sciences has received a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund its new Humanities initiative. The four-year initiative, called “Humanities for the Public Good,” began on July 1, led by Senior Associate Dean Terry Rhodes. The initiative has been broken down into three overarching themes: Integrating […]
![]()
Local Family Gives $18 Million to UNC Entrepreneurship ProgramUNC currently offers a minor in entrepreneurship, and has since 2004. However, it’s application-based and selective. But soon, that minor will be opened up to more students. The Shuford family from Hickory, North Carolina are giving UNC $18 million to contribute to the program, and will almost double it in size and resources. “It is […]
![]()
Guskiewicz New Dean Of UNC Arts And SciencesKevin Guskiewicz is an internationally-renowned expert on sport-related concussions.
UNC Women's Basketball Throttles Western Illinois in NCAA Tournament 1st RoundUNC’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 […]
›
