By R.L. Bynum
ESTERO, Fla. — Bad shooting finally caught up with No. 18 North Carolina on a day when that trend was almost as frustrating to the Tar Heels as the officiating and the frigid hockey arena.
Just like the day before, Carolina kept fighting until the end. But, against talented No. 16 Kansas State, the grit on defense and determination down the stretch wasn’t enough as the Wildcats held on for a 63–56 victory Saturday in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase at the Hertz Arena.
“It was good to see our fight,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “You’ve got to score to win games against good teams, and we struggled to do that.”
The Tar Heels play in Sunday’s 5 p.m. consolation game against Florida Gulf Coast (4–2), which lost 100–62 to No. 4 No. 4 Iowa (5–1) in the second semifinal. The Hawkeyes get a rematch in the championship game with Kansas State, which won at Iowa 56–58 on Nov. 16.
Carolina’s offense consistently generated good shots, which consistently didn’t fall. To make it worse for the Tar Heels, they got few second shots as Kansas State had a 46–25 rebounding edge.
The Tar Heels defense kept them in the game, forcing 21 turnovers with 13 steals, and held the Wildcats without a field goal for more than seven fourth-quarter minutes. Banghart lamented that most teams that do that win, but not when they make only two of 20 3-point attempts.
Carolina (5–1) sliced an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to two on senior center Anya Poole’s three-point play with 1:54 but could come no closer.
Deja Kelly led the way again with team-highs of 14 points, a career-high five steals and a 9.1 game score, but none of those numbers mattered to her after UNC shot 7 of 19 from the floor in the second half and 2 of 20 from 3-point range for the game.
“I’ve got to be better,” said Kelly (below photo), who was 6 of 16 from the floor and 1 of 3 outside the arc. “I’ve got to be able to knock shots down for this team. As a collective, I liked our looks as a team, as a whole. I thought we made the right passes, when necessary. We just couldn’t hit. Shooting that poorly, it’s going to be hard to win games. But I liked our effort on the defensive end.”
Iowa State junior transfer Lexi Donarski was back in the starting lineup after only playing in the second half against Vermont because she tweaked her left ankle in practice. She scored nine points but had a frustrating shooting night, going 1 of 8 from outside the arc. Donarski, who blocked a career-high three shots, had the defensive assignment on guard Serena Sundell, who led Kansas State with 16 points.
Neither foul trouble nor the cold arena helped UNC.
Alyssa Ustby got into foul trouble for the second consecutive game. She picked up her fourth with 7:47 remaining, sat for nearly six minutes and fouled out 54 seconds after returning with four points, nine rebounds and three steals. It was only the fifth time she’s fouled out in 90 career games.
“I don’t think it was a well-officiated game; I think that’s fair to say, one way or another,” Banghart said. “It was hard for these kids to understand what was a foul and what wasn’t, on both ways. But we can only control what we can control, and that was [that] we didn’t shoot the ball very well.”
Ustby also drew four fouls and only played 20 minutes in the first-round victory against Vermont with a different officiating crew when she got smacked in the face by a Catamounts defender at one point, and nothing was called.
Five Carolina players drew at least three fouls, while that was only the case for two Wildcats.
“The other guys would get into the paint and get a foul drawn, so our guys would try to do the exact same thing and wouldn’t get the foul call,” Banghart said. “As a coach, you do what you can to make sure you’re giving them good opportunities, and I think they liked their opportunities; they just didn’t make them.”
Junior Boston College center Maria Gakdeng sat out the last 12:19 of the first half after picking up her second foul trying to battle 6–6 senior Wildcats center Ayoka Lee inside. She went back to the bench after picking up her fourth foul 3:15 into the second half and didn’t return, but for another reason.
“It’s hard for her to play when it’s so cold,” Banghart said, who was coughing a good bit during the press conference while holding the handwarmers she used on the bench. “She has some asthma that’s activated by cold.”
Alexandra Zelaya did a decent job defending Lee, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Gakdeng was out during the stretch. Anya Poole got the major minutes at center, though, getting a huge three-point play in the last two minutes.
A big positive was the nearly 17 strong minutes from redshirt sophomore Kayla McPherson (top photo), whose floor game looked relentless. She scored 11 points and pulled down two rebounds in her first start of the season and fourth of her career.
“It feels good, but it’s another game, another day in the office,” McPherson said.
McPherson and Deja Kelly tried to drive to create inside opportunities with the shots not falling, with moderate success.
Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said he wanted to take Ustby (above photo) out of her game.
“What we tried to do was not give her the fake handoff stuff that she’s so crafty with,” he said. “We tried not to give her the sweeps where she gets you to about 12 feet and opens up and attacks you. We just tried not to give her those plays, keep her off the offensive glass, because she gets a lot of energy from those plays.”
Carolina came out with energy and forced four early turnovers, allowing only one field goal early. But Kansas State (6–0) scored 12 straight points to go up 14–4 on an Imani Lester layup with 2:29 left in the first quarter. An Ustby layup at the buzzer cut UNC’s deficit to 16–8 heading into the second quarter.
Indya Nivar (8 points) provided a spark off the bench, igniting a 6–0 UNC run with four points to trim Kansas State’s lead to eight after a 9–3 Wildcats run had pushed their edge to 14. UNC scored six points off 10 first-half turnovers but trailed 32–22 at halftime.
Carolina missed its first 10 3-point attempts before Deja Kelly made one 86 seconds into the second half. The Tar Heels were 2 for their first 26 in the tournament before that. That started an 11–4 Carolina run that sliced the lead to three, 38–35, on Donarski’s layup off of a steal and her short jumper. It was the smallest Kansas State lead had been since the game’s first four minutes.
A Donarski 3 stopped a 7–2 Wildcats run, but they took a 45–40 lead into the final quarter. Two Nivar jumpers sandwiched a Deja Kelly jumper in a 6–0 run that cut UNC’s lead to two, 48–46, with 5:38 left. Poole’s three-point play made it 55–53 with 1:54 left.
“They amped up their defensive pressure. They really were forcing us into some tough decisions, and we didn’t handle that stretch very well,” Mittie said. “I give them credit. They can turn it up.”
After Paulina Paris missed a 3-point attempt with 52 seconds left, Sundell split two pairs of free throws to push the Wildcats’ lead to 59–53 with 28.9 seconds left.
McPherson cut it to three, 59–56, on a three-point play with 26.1 seconds left but Gisela Sanchez’s four free throws in the last 20.3 seconds put the game away for Kansas State.
Florida Gulf Coast Karl Smesko knows he’s in for another challenge, going up against UNC
“They’re obviously really talented,” Smesko said. “They’re strong. They’re aggressive. They pressure really well. Teams have been shooting the ball exceptionally well against us, like crazy-good against us. We’re going to have to hopefully force some tough twos rather than giving up or some tough twos, rather than give up as many open looks at 3 as we did.”
If those open 3-point attempts come Sunday, UNC just hopes to take advantage.
NOTES — This was the first meeting between UNC and Kansas State. … Ustby’s four points were her fewest since scoring four against South Carolina in a 69–61 NCAA tournament loss on March 25, 2022. She tied a career-low with two shots (also Nov. 8, 2020, against UNC Greensboro). … Deja Kelly’s previous high steal total in a game was four, against N.C. A&T on Nov. 9, 2021, Virginia on Jan. 20, 2022, and TCU on Nov. 12, 2022, all victories. … The 21 forced turnovers were the third time UNC has forced at least 20 this season, with 33 vs. Gardner-Webb on Nov. 8 and 24 against Hampton on Nov. 15. … Only four of UNC’s 20 field goals were assisted, another product of the bad shooting. … UNC has combined for only seven assists (three vs. Vermont) in two Gulf Coast Showcase games after averaging 15.8 in the first four games. … Carolina has made 4 of 27 3-point attempts in the tournament (14.8%) after making 28 of 93 in the first four games (30.1%). … With 13 steals against the Wildcats, UNC has at least 11 in four of six games. … Redshirt sophomore forward Teonni Key still hasn’t played this season, but recently stopped wearing a boot on her right foot. … In Saturday afternoon losers’ bracket games, Western Kentucky beat Vermont 62–50, and Purdue Fort Wayne topped Delaware 88–74. … The evening session set a Gulf Coast Showcase attendance record, men and women, with 4,257 fans.
No. 16 Kansas State 63, No. 18 UNC 56
UNC lineup combinations
| Score | Time | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Segment score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | 10:00 | DK | McPherson | Donarski | Ustby | Gakdeng | 4–8 |
| 4–8 | 5:21 | Poole | 0–2 | ||||
| 4–10 | 3:38 | Paris | 0–2 | ||||
| 4–12 | 2:39 | Gakdeng | 2–1 | ||||
| 6–13 | 1:25 | Zelaya | 8–11 | ||||
| 14–24 | 4:58(2) | McPherson | Nivar | 2–6 | |||
| 16–30 | 2:09 | RK | Donarski | 6–2 | |||
| 22–32 | Half | DK | McPherson | Donarski | Ustby | Gakdeng | 7–6 |
| 29–36 | 6:45 | Poole | 6–2 | ||||
| 35–38 | 4:17 | Nivar | 7–10 | ||||
| 42–48 | 7:47 | Paris | Donarski | Nivar | 10–7 | ||
| 52–55 | 1:54 | McPherson | Ustby | 1–0 | |||
| 53–55 | 1:09 | Paris | Donarski | 3–4 | |||
| 56–59 | :26 | Nivar | 0–4 | ||||
| 56–63 | Final |
Gulf Coast Showcase
Hertz Arena, Estero, Fla.
All games stream on FloHoops
Friday’s first round results
No. 16 Kansas State 77, Western Kentucky 61
No. 18 North Carolina 54, Vermont 51
Florida Gulf Coast 83, Delaware 68
No. 4 Iowa 98, Purdue Fort Wayne 59
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 16 Kansas State 64, No. 18 North Carolina 56
No. 4 Iowa 100, Florida Gulf Coast 62
Saturday’s losers’ bracket results
Western Kentucky 62, Vermont 50
Purdue Fort Wayne 88, Delaware 74
Sunday’s games
Seventh-place game: Delaware 73, Vermont 66
Fifth-place game: Purdue Fort Wayne 90, Western Kentucky 77
Consolation game: Florida Gulf Coast 65, No. 18 North Carolina 64
Championship: No. 4 Iowa 77, No. 16 Kansas State 70
| Date | Day/month | Score | Opponent/event (current rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | ||||
| 8 | Wednesday | W, 102–49 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 1–0 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 74–70 | vs. Davidson | 2–0 |
| 15 | Wednesday | W, 62–32 | vs. Hampton | 3–0 |
| 18 | Saturday | W, 68–39 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. | ||||
| 24 | Friday | W, 54–51 | Vermont | 5–0 |
| 25 | Saturday | L, 63–56 | No. 15 Kansas State | 5–1 |
| 26 | Sunday | L, 65–64 | Florida Gulf Coast | 5–2 |
| ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 65–58 | vs. No. 1 South Carolina | 5–3 |
| December | ||||
| 6 | Wednesday | W, 81–66 | vs. UNC Greensboro | 6–3 |
| Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase in Uncasville, Conn. | ||||
| 10 | Sunday | L, 76–64 | No. 10 Connecticut | 6–4 |
| ——————— | ||||
| 15 | Friday | W, 96–36 | vs. Western Carolina | 7–4 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 61–52 | No. 18 Oklahoma | 8–4 |
| ACC season | ||||
| 31 | Sunday | W, 82–76 | vs. Clemson | 9–4, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 75–51 | vs. No. 22 Syracuse | 10–4, 2–0 ACC |
| 7 | Sunday | W, 61–57 | at No. 9 Notre Dame | 11–4, 3–0 ACC |
| 11 | Thursday | L, 70–62 | at Florida State | 11–5, 3–1 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 81–68 | vs. Virginia | 12–5, 4–1 ACC |
| 18 | Thursday | W, 73–68 | at Georgia Tech | 13–5, 5–1 ACC |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 79–68 | vs. No. 23 Louisville | 14–5, 6–1 ACC |
| 25 | Thursday | W, 66–61 | vs. Miami | 15–5, 7–1 ACC |
| 28 | Sunday | L, 81–66 | at Virginia | 15–6, 7–2 ACC |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | L, 63–59 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 15–7, 7–3 ACC |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 70–61, OT | vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech | 15–8, 7–4 ACC |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 68–60, OT | at Duke | 15–9, 7–5 ACC |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 75–62 | vs. Pittsburgh | 16–9, 8–5 ACC |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 58–50 | at Wake Forest | 17–9, 9–5 ACC |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 80–70 | vs. No. 11 N.C. State | 18–9, 10–5 ACC |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 74–62 | at No. 13 Virginia Tech | 18–10, 10–6 ACC |
| 29 | Thursday | L, 78–74 | at Boston College | 18–11, 10–7 ACC |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Sunday | W, 63–59 | vs. Duke | 19–11, 11–7 ACC |
| ACC tournament Greensboro Coliseum | ||||
| 7 | Thursday | L, 60–59 | Second round: vs. Miami | 19–12 |
| NCAA tournament Columbia, S.C. | ||||
| 22 | Friday | W, 59–56 | First round: Michigan State | 20–12 |
| 24 | Sunday | L, 88–41 | Second round: No. 1 South Carolina | 20–13 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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