By R.L. Bynum
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — This was the Indya Nivar game.
The sophomore Stanford transfer was everywhere on the court with lots of energy while contributing in many ways for North Carolina. She scored a crucial bucket on a driving layup with 1:44 left for two of her team-high 16 points as the Tar Heels battled for a 61–57 win over No. 16 Notre Dame on Sunday at Purcell Pavilion.
“She just kept on keeping on, and we’ve been watching a lot of film, and she’s seeing it come. I thought today she was a total star on both ends,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said of Nivar, calling her an easy kid to root for.
Nivar collected a career-high five steals and two assists. She put the game away with a crucial offensive rebound and two free throws with 13 seconds left to give UNC (11–4, 3–0 ACC) its first program win at South Bend in six tries.
“It’s hard when you’re a part of a program this storied and has this much tradition to do something it’s never been done before,” said Banghart, adding that she wanted her senior class to experience a first such as that.
This idiocy of Carolina (11–4, 3–0 ACC) being unranked is about to end Monday after three straight wins to start the ACC season, as well as holding Notre Dame (10–3, 1–2) to one last-second, meaningless bucket in the last 3:41.
Nivar and graduate Lexi Donarski (13 points, three 3-pointers, six rebounds and two steals), were the catalysts on both ends of the court.
The Irish got junior guard Sonia Citron back after missing nine games (knee injury), and she gave them a boost with a team-high 18 points. But it didn’t compare to the boost Nivar gave UNC, who has had an impact this season but never like this, as she was a game-high +20 (the next-highest were Alyssa Ustby and Anya Poole at +6).
“I’ve just been stacking days in practice and game,” said Nivar, who admitted it had been a while since she made so many clutch plays at the end of a game. “So, it was just the build-up, and today was just my day to show what I’ve been working on in practice, talking about with Coach, going over and film and I just think it just came all together today. So I think it’s a good milestone and hope to keep moving up.”
After two of those big late plays, she flexed while looking at the players on UNC’s bench as the emotions flowed.
“I always look to the bench because they’ve always been there for me throughout this process of me getting back,” said Nivar, who had 10 fourth-quarter points. “They’re always supporting me, so I just had to celebrate toward the bench because I knew they had my back.”
Even though Nivar played the last 9:46 with four fouls, it didn’t reduce her effectiveness.
“You just have to be a little bit smarter on the defensive end, especially no reaching in, not being too aggressive on the rebounds, not going over the back,” Nivar said
Banghart praised Donarski’s toughness in playing all 40 minutes.
“She’s gonna lose her voice with him with how much she’s communicating,” Banghart said.
Donarski and Nivar defended Irish freshman sensation Hannah Hildago well. Hidalgo scored 17 points but was 6 of 16 from the floor and missed all three 3-point attempts.
“We changed it up, going over and under ball screens, trying to really have people be high in the gaps so that she sees a lot of people coming off of them,” Donarski said. “I think we could still take a step forward with that defensively. But it was really just our effort. Our bigs were really solid and in the right spots that they were supposed to be, to be that second line of defense that we needed.”
Banghart left it up to Donarski to decide when she would defend Hidalgo and when she’d defer that to Nivar, and the combination worked well because, she says, Donarski is smart.
“When she feels like someone’s getting in a rhythm or getting better shots, she just makes a move and lets somebody else guard her for a few, or switch defenses. So, it’s fun to see her kind of evolve and take ownership of that.”
Carolina disrupted the offense down the stretch for Notre Dame, which only played six players, by switching defenses a lot, throwing the Irish off late with the zone defense and keeping them guessing how the Tar Heels would play ball screens.
“There’s two different ideas to run if it’s man or zone,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “But I thought their zone really slowed us down. They were in man majority of the game. So when they went to that zone and the second half and definitely in the fourth quarter, it kind of slowed us down.”
Banghart prepared for a matchup between Ustby and Notre Dame’s Maddy Westbeld, but that went to waste when Westbeld missed the game because of a concussion.
Banghart said she “wasn’t jumping for joy,” when she found out that Citron — a player she recruited as Princeton’s coach — was playing because that meant adjustments.
Notre Dame’s post players sagged whenever Ustby (seven points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals) got the ball on the perimeter, which created problems for UNC’s offense. But Banghart said it’s a learning experience.
“They gave Alyssa a totally different read than she’s been seeing the last two weeks,” Ustby said. “I think that sped her up a little bit, and that kind of turned into making her a little bit out of her rhythm, which is great. The more you show Alyssa, the better she’s going to get.”
The teams traded early runs. Deja Kelly had four as Carolina scored the game’s first six points before Notre Dame scored the next eight. Three-pointers from Paulina Paris and Donarski then fueled a 14–0 run that put the Tar Heels up by 12. Notre Dame cut the lead to 20–12 after one quarter.
Notre Dame stormed back with an 8–0 run to tie it on three Hidalgo free throws with 4:33 left in the first half. A Donarski 3-pointer pushed the lead to six before the Irish cut their deficit to 31–28 by halftime.
It was that close because UNC missed all four free-throw attempts while Notre Dame made 9 of 11. It wasn’t until Reniya Kelly made two attempts with 2:14 left in the third quarter that UNC scored from the line.
The Irish began the second half with an 11–2 run and led by five, with UNC shifting to a zone defense late in that stretch. UNC finished the quarter with an 8–2 run, with Donarski’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer slicing a Notre Dame lead that had been seven to 46–45 entering the final quarter.
Nivar’s layup, jumper and driving three-point play to start the fourth quarter highlighted a 12–0 run that started in the third quarter and gave UNC an eight-point lead with 6:13 left.
After Deja Kelly drew an intentional foul when she collided with Citron, Citron tied it on two free throws with 3:41 left to cap a 6–0 Irish run. Maria Gakdeng gave UNC the lead back on a free throw with 2:44 left, and Nivar made it a three-point lead on a drive with 1:44 left.
UNC got two straight stops, the second one when Gakdeng blocked Anna DeWolfe’s driving shot as UNC scored four points at the free-throw line in the last 1:44 to go with a Nivar layup.
NOTES — UNC is on the road again Thursday at 6 p.m. (ESPN3), facing Florida State (12–4, 3–1), which won 78–72 Sunday at Clemson … Carolina held the Irish 30 points below their 87.4 points per game average, which ranks 10th in the nation. … Notre Dame came into the game averaging 46 inside points per game but scored only 20. … Deja Kelly has combined for 13 points on 6 of 29 shooting in the last two games. Six points against Notre Dame was a season-low (previous low seven against Syracuse and against Western Carolina). … Donarski had about 17 supporters at the game, including her parents and grandmother … In addition to her father Todd, Ustby had several supporters at the game. … Deja Kelly’s brother Trae Nunn, a highly rated 6–4 sophomore high school wing in Texas, was at the game as well as her mom and grandmother. … UNC has won three of the last four meetings with Notre Dame and two in a row, but the Irish still lead the all-time series 10–5.
UNC 61, No. 16 Notre Dame 57
UNC lineup combinations
| Score | Time | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Segment score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starters | 10:00 | DK | Paris | Donarski | Ustby | Gakdeng | 6–6 |
| 6–6 | 6:36 | Paris | Donarski | Nivar | 3–2 | ||
| 9–8 | 4:47 | DK | 9–0 | ||||
| 18–8 | 1:29 | Key | 2–4 | ||||
| 20–12 | 9:03 (2) | Ustby | Poole | 2–0 | |||
| 22–12 | 7:28 | RK | 2–2 | ||||
| 22–14 | 7:02 | Paris | Donarski | 0–2 | |||
| 22–16 | 5:52 | Gakdeng | 0–2 | ||||
| 22–18 | 4:42 | DK | Donarski | Nivar | 6–5 | ||
| 28–23 | 1:34 | RK | Donarski | 3–5 | |||
| 31–28 | Half | Paris | Ustby | 2–7 | |||
| 33–35 | 5:44 | RK | 0–2 | ||||
| 33–37 | 5:30 | Donarski | Nivar | 7–9 | |||
| 40–46 | 1:33 | Poole | 12–0 | ||||
| 52–46 | 6:48 (4) | RK | Donarski | 2–3 | |||
| 54–49 | 5:38 | NIvar | 1–4 | ||||
| 55–53 | 3:41 | Gakdeng | 4–2 | ||||
| 59–55 | :07 | RK | Nivar | Donarski | Ustby | 0–0 | |
| 59–55 | 4.7 | Nivar | Donarski | Ustby | Gakdeng | 2–2 | |
| 61–57 | Final |
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Virginia Tech | 14–4 | 23–6 |
| No. 10 N.C. State | 13–5 | 25–5 |
| No. 20 Syracuse | 13–5 | 23–6 |
| No. 14 Notre Dame | 13–5 | 23–6 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 12–6 | 23–8 |
| Florida State | 12–6 | 21–9 |
| Duke | 11–7 | 19–10 |
| North Carolina | 11–7 | 19–11 |
| Miami | 8–10 | 18–11 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–11 | 16–14 |
| Virginia | 7–11 | 15–14 |
| Boston College | 5–13 | 13–18 |
| Clemson | 5–13 | 12–18 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–16 | 8–23 |
| Wake Forest | 2–16 | 6–24 |
Sunday’s games
North Carolina 63, Duke 59
Boston College 84, Pittsburgh 58
No. 10 N.C. State 75, Wake Forest 57
No. 14 Notre Dame 74, No. 24 Louisville 58
Georgia Tech 71, Miami 66, OT
Florida State 82, Clemson 79
Virginia 80, No. 11 Virginia Tech 75
ACC tournament
Greensboro Coliseum
Wednesday-Sunday
| 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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