Ustby, Donarski Lead UNC Women's Basketball Past Clemson in ACC Opener

Alyssa Ustby and Lexi Donarski combined for 44 points to guide Carolina past Clemson, 82-76, in the ACC opener Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena. It’s the first time Carolina has reached 80 points in an ACC game since the 2021-22 season.

Opened ACC play with a 𝗗𝗨𝗕 🙌#GoHeels | #InPursuit | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/sE7MHHqg8P

— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) December 31, 2023

“We knew it was gonna be a battle,” said head coach Courtney Banghart after the game. “Just a good basketball game.”

Ustby continued to play at an All-ACC level, reaching the 20-point plateau for the second time in three games. The senior stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points (on 8-10 shooting), 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals to record her second consecutive double-double and sixth this season.

“There’s never a second off with her,” Donarski said. “Every single play, she’s going as hard as she can. Every single rebound, every single defensive possession… she has such a great impact to this team.”

“She leads with her intentionality,” said Banghart. “She gets a lot of credit for her motor, but she’s gotten better at basketball… change of pace, better vision with the ball, a true facilitator from her spot.”

Donarski did her damage from outside, raining in six three-pointers and setting a new season high with 23 points. Four of her long-distance makes came in a hot third quarter, when the Tar Heels hit six as a team and outscored the Tigers 22-15. By contrast, Carolina had made just 12 threes in the previous three games combined. The team’s 11 makes on the game set a new season high.

“It’s one more way for us to make our offense really hard to guard,” Donarski said. “We’ve been working on it a lot, so it feels good to see that success.”

UNC outscored Clemson 22-15 in the third quarter, getting some breathing room after leading by just a point at halftime. The Tar Heels led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter before the Tigers finished the half strong, and Carolina pushed its lead back to as large as 11 in the second half. Deja Kelly scored seven of her 15 points in the final period to put Clemson away. Kelly also accounted for eight assists, half of UNC’s game total of 16. That comes after the Tar Heels totaled only four in the previous game against Oklahoma.

The Tar Heels are now 9-4 overall, 1-0 in ACC play and are on a three-game winning streak. Carolina will be back in action on January 4 when it hosts Syracuse at 6 p.m.

Featured image via UNC Women’s Basketball on Twitter

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Ustby, Donarski Lead UNC Women’s Basketball Past Clemson in ACC Opener

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