By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — In probably the last sure win on No. 25 North Carolina’s schedule, the Tar Heels took full advantage on a feel-good night full of holiday cheers and torrid defense.
Eager to rebound from a short-handed loss to No. 17 UConn, the Tar Heels — with two players back who didn’t play in that game — dominated Western Carolina at Carmichael Arena. UNC led by 64 points late before finishing off a 96–36 win behind senior wing Alyssa Ustby’s 23 points.
“Good to get a couple of guys back into the lineup who mean a lot to us, so that was exciting from the start,” said Coach Courtney Banghart after sophomore guard Paulina Paris returned from missing two games and redshirt sophomore forward Teonni Key made her season debut.
Banghart gave fans a taste of the pace to expect when the team is fully healthy, and the Catamounts (2–9) paid the price with more turnovers (24) than field goals (16).
“We really are emphasizing, now that we’re getting healthier, to play faster on both ends, be more aggressive in the beginning of the [opponent’s] possession and then offensively to be faster on the outlet and go — they did that,” said Banghart, whose team scored 27 fast-break points. “I think they’re seeing they’ll be better when they do that.”
After being in uniform for the first time this season against UConn, Key, who missed the first nine games recovering from a foot injury, collected seven points, a career-high 10 rebounds and two assists in just under 18 minutes. That was the most she’s played in a game since logging 17 minutes in last season’s 73–62 win Feb. 2 at Virginia.
“She’s amazing to me after such a great spring and summer, how much time she’s missed,” Banghart said of Key, who had three of UNC’s season-high-tying seven blocks (also against South Carolina). “She was a big part of what we were planning on. I think her teammates have to help her just be grateful that she’s playing, and every game, the standard will get higher. Right now, I just want her to be out there playing and her to get cheered for.”
Paris showed no rust, getting her second start of the season and sixth of her career. She played well with 16 points, three assists and three steals, but was on a stationary bike some before and during the game to stay loose.
“Being out is obviously hard. And it’s something that I wasn’t used to because I’ve never missed a game,” said Paris, who was a loud cheerleader while missing the last two games. “I’m very happy to be back.”
Carolina (7–4) had no worries about foul trouble, which has been a recurring issue. The Tar Heels shared the ball well and were efficient on the offensive end (24 assists and a season-low six turnovers) other than the shooting struggles of guards Deja Kelly and Lexi Donarski (a combined 5 of 24 from the floor), although Kelly was a team-high +45.
Banghart said it showed the Tar Heels’ depth of talent that tough shooting games from those two guards didn’t bother them.
“I felt like they have had to carry a lot, and how they perform has been really important,” Banghart said. “And as we get healthier, you get a little bit more from everybody, which was helpful.”
Ustby, +41 for the game, had her patented do-everything game with nine rebounds, six assists (tying her career-high reached four previous times), four steals and two blocks. She said that the team came into the game determined after the frustrations of the UConn game.
“Definitely a point where we just have to dig in and be more gritty and meeting the challenge and not letting the challenge come to us,” said Ustby, who led by example in that regard. “I think that’s a little bit of what happened playing against UConn.
“So digging deep, diving into each other, trying to figure out what tactical things that we need to do to get better,” Ustby said. “But, ultimately, make that mental shift of we’re going to control this game, and it starts on the defensive end.”
UNC committed only four fouls, the lowest total since committing six in a 63–45 win at Arizona on March 21, 2022, in the second round of the NCAA tournament and fewest since at least the 2002–03 season. That meant that Ustby didn’t have to deal with foul trouble for the first time in several games.
Out of force of habit, she said that she reminded herself in the first quarter not to foul. After picking up at least four fouls in four of the previous six games, she got no fouls for the first time since the 64–42 win over victory over UNCW on Dec. 7, 2022, and the eighth time in 95 career games.
“Going into the second half without any fouls, I knew I could be a little more aggressive,” said Ustby, who had 15 second-half points. “It feels great, so I’m definitely gonna do that more often moving forward.”
Sophomore Indya Niver had 15 points, four rebounds and three steals, while junior center Maria Gakdeng pitched in with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Carolina scored the game’s first nine points, then went on a 10–2 run to push the lead to 15 on a Paris steal and layup and took a 26–6 lead into the second quarter.
UNC matched its 3-pointers total against UConn in the opening quarter with three, and exceeded the total of each of the three games at the Gulf Coast Shootout (2). The Tar Heels were only 2 of 7 from outside the arc in the middle two quarters, though, before making both fourth-quarter attempts.
After six consecutive Catamounts points cut their deficit to 16, UNC finished the second half with a 10–2 run to lead 45-21 at halftime. Ustby had eight points in Carolina’s 24–4 run to start the second half, then the Heels reeled off 25–2 run to balloon the lead to 64 on an Ustby layup with 1:47 left.
Guard Audrey Meyers led the Catamounts with 13 points.
NOTES — Freshman guard Reniya Kelly, who missed the second half against UConn because of a concussion, didn’t play and redshirt sophomore Kayla McPherson (knee) missed her third consecutive game. … Ustby also scored 23 points on March 3, 2021, in an 82–71 ACC tournament loss to Wake Forest and on Nov. 26, 2021, in a 72–49 victory over VCU. … Key’s previous best rebounding total was seven, which she pulled down last season on Nov. 16 in a 93–25 win over South Carolina State and on Feb. 12 in a 73–55 victory against Boston College, the latter in her only college start, filling in for Poole. … Carolina’s previous low foul total this season was eight in the Dec. 6 81–66 win over UNCG. … This was the fourth time this season that UNC has held an opponent to 16 or fewer field goals, holding Gardner-Webb to 15, Elon to 14 and Hampton to 13. … WCU’s 11 fouls were the fewest by an opponent this season, and the fewest since Syracuse only got whistled for 10 last season on Feb. 9 in the Orange’s 75–67 home win (UNC had 16 fouls). … UNC’s previous turnovers low this season was nine against Gardner-Webb, Hampton and Vermont, and the fewest turnovers in any previous game since the 2001–02 season were six against Alabama in a 80–71 first-round NCAA tournament loss on March 22, 2021. … Carolina plays its last non-conference game at 9:30 Tuesday night at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center at the Jumpman Invitational against Oklahoma (6–3), which lost 92–76 at home to No. 23 UNLV in its last game. … UNC opens ACC play at noon on Dec. 31 against Clemson (6–4, 1–0), which won at home 80–64 against Duke on Dec. 7 in its league opener. … Former UNC player Taylor Koenen, who, like Ustby is from Minnesota and wore No. 1, was at the game. … UNC has won 12 of 13 meetings with Western Carolina, but this was the first since an 82–37 Tar Heels victory on Nov. 7, 2019, in Banghart’s first game as UNC’s coach.
No. 25 UNC 96, Western Carolina 36
UNC lineup combinations
| Score | Time | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Segment score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | 10:00 | Kelly | Paris | Donarski | Ustby | Gakdeng | 14–4 |
| 14–4 | 4:00 | Nivar | Key | Poole | 11–2 | ||
| 25–6 | 43.0 | Barker | Donarski | 1–0 | |||
| 26–6 | End 1 | Poole | Gakdeng | 5–5 | |||
| 31–11 | 7:04 | Zelaya | 4–2 | ||||
| 35–13 | 6:20 | Kelly | 0–2 | ||||
| 35–15 | 6:03 | Ustby | 8–6 | ||||
| 43–21 | 52.4 | Paris | Key | Poole | 2–0 | ||
| 45–21 | Half | Donarski | Ustby | 10–2 | |||
| 55–23 | 7:28 | Key | 4–2 | ||||
| 59–25 | 4:02 | Paris | Nivar | Key | Poole | 7–0 | |
| 66–25 | 1:09 | Zelaya | 5–2 | ||||
| 71–27 | 8:25 (4th) | Kelly | Paris | Nivar | 6–3 | ||
| 77–30 | 7:01 (4th) | Ustby | 2–0 | ||||
| 79–30 | 6:30 | Grays | Key | 12–2 | |||
| 91–32 | 2:31 | Paris | Barker | 5–0 | |||
| 96–32 | 1:22 | Grays | Key | Poole | 0–4 | ||
| 96–36 | Final |
| 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
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