By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — A one-on-one meeting in Coach Courtney Banghart’s office with the door closed has led to a shift in Alyssa Ustby’s approach that is producing impressive results.
Carolina had just lost to UConn in Uncasville, Conn., for the Tar Heels’ fourth loss in five games, and Banghart delivered a message to her senior wing.
“Lys and I get along really well,” Banghart said. “But I was pretty direct in my office, closed door, about how good players have to play well in big games. And this is the time of the season where every game is big. So, she doesn’t have an option anymore to see how the game goes. She has to impact the game in a positive way for us to win. And so she took it and got right back, and I think got right in the gym that afternoon.”
The meeting has had its intended result, with Ustby scoring 23 points in the next game Dec. 15 against Western Carolina, then back-to-back double-doubles in wins Dec. 19 over Oklahoma (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Dec. 31 Clemson (21 points, 11 rebounds) before she made history on Thursday night.
Ustby was all over the court in producing the first triple-double in program history with 16 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals, as UNC sent a message to the poll voters after the Heels fell out of the Top 25 with a decisive 75–51 home victory over No. 25 Syracuse.
She became the first player in women’s college basketball history to get a triple-double with totals of at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists against a ranked team. She joined two UNC men’s players who had triple-doubles 24 seasons ago: Brendan Haywood (18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks against Miami on Dec. 4, 2000) and Jason Capel (16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists vs. Buffalo on Dec. 17, 2000).
Ustby has always been impressive with her all-around game, but she has appeared more assertive since that meeting, which has made a big difference. She has scored double-figure points in the last seven consecutive games after doing it in only four of the first seven.
“I’ve recognized it,” Ustby said of her more determined approach. “Just bringing my best self every day for our team and being intentional about that and not clocking in with the attitude of like, ‘Oh, it’s another day.’ So, kind of making that mental shift, I think would be the only thing that I could really pinpoint that that has been that shift.”
The attitude adjustment is undoubtedly leading to some bad attitudes from the opposition that’s happy to see the 6–1 senior in their rear-view mirror, such as Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack, when asked how to deal with Ustby.
“We don’t have to anymore; we don’t play them anymore,” Legette-Jack said. “That’s something that the other teams have to talk about. But she’s a great player.”
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Ustby met the physical challenges that Syracuse brought inside, which led to many rebounds.
“They had a lot of post players that were super aggressive, so that made my job pretty challenging,” Ustby said. “But I just had to meet the physicality and try to fight for those boards and stay out of foul trouble, which was another goal of mine tonight. Just watching the ball go up and just seeing how it’s coming off the rim. And, if we’re on defense, blocking out first and try to find a body, so I’m a step ahead to the rebound, before my opponent.”
Banghart has stressed that her best players have to excel if the Tar Heels are going to meet their goals, and that goes for the other starters, including senior Deja Kelly, graduate Lexi Donarski and junior Maria Gakdeng.
“She’s approaching the game — as is Lexi, as is Maria — they are obligated to play well in big games,” Banghart said. “And in the nonconference, I’m not sure they did that enough as a group. And so it’s good to see that they’ve made that shift that, ‘OK, we have an obligation to play well.’ “
The obligations will only get greater as the Tar Heels (10–4, 2–0 ACC) play their first two games this season on an opponent’s home court, visiting No. 16 Notre Dame (10–2, 1–1) at 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2) and No. 22 Florida State (11–4, 2–1) at 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPN3).
“We’re gonna get totally locked into how we wanted to play,” Banghart said. “And I think part of that, I have to be mindful that I just want them to get better, and part of that is just winning the next game at this point in the season.”
Having Ustby on the court sure helps.
UNC season statistics
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Duke | 16–2 | 21–8 | 10 | 13 |
| No. 12 Louisville | 15–3 | 25–6 | 13 | 10 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 14–4 | 25–6 | 19 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 13–5 | 20–9 | 23 | 27 |
| Syracuse | 12–6 | 22–7 | 40 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 12–6 | 22–8 | 41 | 34 |
| Notre Dame | 12–6 | 20–9 | 24 | 23 |
| Clemson | 11–7 | 20–10 | 44 | 40 |
| Virginia | 11–7 | 19–10 | 36 | 49 |
| California | 9–9 | 18–13 | 53 | 60 |
| Stanford | 8–10 | 19–12 | 42 | 56 |
| Miami | 8–10 | 16–13 | 58 | 65 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–10 | 12–17 | 76 | 109 |
| Florida State | 5–13 | 10–20 | 107 | 138 |
| Wake Forest | 4–14 | 14–16 | 121 | 134 |
| SMU | 2–16 | 9–21 | 220 | 209 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–17 | 8–23 | 262 | 238 |
| Boston College | 1–17 | 5–26 | 247 | 283 |
* — Through Sunday games
Thursday’s results
No. 16 North Carolina 82, Virginia 70
No. 12 Louisville 69, Georgia Tech 50
Notre Dame 72, Syracuse 62
Miami 79, Pittsburgh 58
N.C. State 65, Wake Forest 58
No. 13 Duke 80, Florida State 52
Stanford 87, SMU 57
Clemson 70, California 63
Sunday’s results
No. 16 North Carolina 74, No. 13 Duke 69
Virginia Tech 83, Virginia 82
Georgia Tech 79, Miami 49
N.C. State 93, Pittsburgh 43
Stanford 85, Clemson 50
Syracuse 90, Boston College 65
Notre Dame 65, No. 12 Louisville 62
Florida State 77, Wake Forest 74, OT
California 78, SMU 34
End of regular season
ACC tournament
Gas South Arena
Duluth, Ga.
March 4–8
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 4 South Carolina in Atlanta | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 90–42 | vs. N.C. Central | 1–0 |
| 6 | Thursday | W, 71–37 | vs. Elon | 2–0 |
| WBCA Challenge Las Vegas | ||||
| 13 | Thursday | L, 78–60 | vs. No. 2 UCLA | 2–1 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 82–68 | vs. Fairfield | 3–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 20 | Thursday | W, 85–50 | at N.C. A&T | 4–1 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 94–48 | vs. UNCG | 5–1 |
| Cancun Challenge Cancun, Mexico | ||||
| 27 | Thursday | W, 83–48 | vs. South Dakota St. | 6–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 85–73 | vs. Kansas State | 7–1 |
| 29 | Saturday | W, 80–63 | vs. Columbia | 8–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Thursday | W, 79–64 | at No. 3 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 13 Louisville | 9–3, 0–1 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 84–34 | vs. UNCW | 10–3 |
| 21 | Sunday | W, 93–74 | vs. Charleston Southern | 11–3 |
| 29 | Monday | W, 90–38 | at Boston College | 12–3, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–1 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–2 |
| 11 | Sunday | L, 73–50 | at No. 22 Notre Dame | 13–5, 2–3 |
| 15 | Thursday | W, 73–62 | vs. Miami | 14–5, 3–3 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 82–55 | at Florida State | 15–5, 4–3 |
| 22 | Thursday | W, 54–46 | at Georgia Tech | 16–5, 5–3 |
| 25 | Sunday | W, 77–71, OT | vs. Syracuse | 17–5, 6–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 61–59 | at N.C. State | 18–5, 7–3 |
| 5 | Thursday | W, 53–44 | vs. Clemson | 19–5, 8–3 |
| 8 | Sunday | W, 84–56 | vs. Wake Forest | 20–5, 9–3 |
| 12 | Thursday | W, 94–42 | vs. SMU | 21–5, 10–3 |
| 15 | Sunday | L, 72–68 | at No. 8 Duke | 21–6, 10–4 |
| 19 | Thursday | W, 66–63, OT | at Virginia Tech | 22–6, 11–4 |
| 22 | Sunday | W, 78–50 | vs. Pittsburgh | 23–6, 12–4 |
| 26 | Thursday | W, 82–70 | at Virginia | 24–6, 13–4 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 72–69 | vs. No. 8 Duke | 25–6, 14–4 |
| ACC tournament | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | |||
| 6 | Friday | W, 85–68 | Quarterfinal vs. Va. Tech | 26–6 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 65–57 | Semifinal vs. No. 13 Louisville | 26–7 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 20–24 | Fri.-Mon. | First, second rounds | ||
| 27–30 | Fri.-Mon. | Regionals Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, Calif. | ||
| April | ||||
| 3, 5 | Fri., Sun | Final Four Phoenix |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
