By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — After four consecutive losses, North Carolina’s women were happy to finally end a skid, regardless of who they beat.
There was little joy for much of a rough first half. It was discouraging for the Tar Heels when they rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to take an 11-point lead only to have Pittsburgh — one of the worst teams in the ACC — erase it.
UNC put the game away with a 10–0 fourth-quarter run to take a harder-than-expected 75–62 victory Thursday at Carmichael Arena.
“Take out the first quarter — which I know is a big if — [and there were] a lot of good numbers that we saw,” said UNC coach Courtney Banghart, whose team only led 9–6 after the opening quarter. “We just came out a little flat. It was a good mid-week win; we’ll take it.”
Banghart wore glasses after having a procedure done this week, but liked the numbers her team put up once it got focused. The Tar Heels (16–9, 8–5 ACC) had assists on 21 of 24 field goals, forced 24 turnovers, held a Pitt team that averages 12.4 offensive rebounds to eight, and shot 53.8% in the final three quarters. The 21 assists were a high in ACC play.
Graduate guard Lexi Donarski, who scored a game-high 20 points, said that the Tar Heels went into the game determined to flip the season’s momentum. She said the team got together and decided that the streak ended now.
“I feel like today, collectively, throughout this whole game, we came out with an entirely different energy on both offense and defense — the pace of our cuts, how active we were with and without the ball on offense, the way that the ball moved,” Donarski said. “There were just so many changes that were very different from the last four games to now. I feel like we took a step forward today. We still have things that we want to get better at, obviously, but, yeah, I was happy with our play today.”
Banghart reminded the players before the game that they were three to five possessions away from a much different record.
“Life doesn’t stop; it just doesn’t,” Banghart said. “It doesn’t allow you to get in your feelings. No one can take your confidence away but you. I think there were times that I had to just remind them this is a really good team and don’t let five possessions define you in a negative way. We’ve got a lot of basketball still to play.”
Carolina still has a chance to earn a double-bye in the ACC tournament, but will likely need to win the rest of their regular-season games or get help.
The degree of difficulty for Banghart was larger without freshman guard Reniya Kelly (lower body injury), who had started the previous seven games. Banghart said that she hopes Reniya Kelly and Paulina Paris (who has missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury) will return soon.
“We’ve got to kind of piece this together. We’ve got five perimeter players out. Many of them are some of the highest-rank players on our team. So, it’s fascinating. These guys are warriors,” said Banghart, noting that her players are tired but not playing like it.
Without Reniya Kelly, senior Alyssa Ustby logged many backcourt minutes, and she responded by tying her career-high with 10 assists and coming three rebounds away from a second triple-double with 14 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
“Once the game started, and we figured out what our starting lineup was going to be, then that’s when the job switches,” said Ustby, who notched her 12th double-double of the season and 34th of her career, but the first when one of the statistics wasn’t rebounds. “One thing about our team is we have so many versatile players and a lot of girls with very high IQ, so you can move around very seamlessly.”
Donarski started the game shooting cold from outside the arc. Her shot is particularly needed against teams like Pitt that play mostly zone and, to a fault, she’s “so darned unselfish,” according to Banghart.
“Those are the shots that we work on all the time,” said Donarski, who made 6 of 9 3-point attempts after missing her first five and eclipsed 1,500 for her career to push her total to 1,517. “If I ever passed one up, I had almost every person on the team, like, ‘No, we want you to take that shot.’ So, it feels good that my teammates trust me, and I trust them. We just need to get the shots that we want, and when teams play more zone you have to deal with Alyssa on the high post, and hopefully, I can make some 3s, too.”
Carolina was 10 of 23 from outside the arc for its second-best 3-point production of the season (scored 11 against Clemson), with Deja Kelly (15 points, five assists, two steals in 40 minutes) and Indya Nivar (six points, three rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal) each scoring two.
“She’s just a great sniper,” Utsby, who has 100 career blocks, said of Donarski, who is fourth in the ACC with 2.4 3s per game. “As someone that likes to work inside, it’s fun to zip it out to her and have her shoot. Whether she misses or makes it, it’s great because if she misses, I’m gonna go try to rebound it; if she makes it, that’s great; we’ll do it again the next time.”
Carolina got a big boost off the bench from redshirt sophomore forward Teonni Key, who scored 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
“With Alyssa being flexible enough to move to the guard. It allowed Teonni to have more opportunities,” Banghart said. “She finished well, she defended pretty well, and she’s got a bright future. She’s just got to keep working. And so, she gave us key minutes throughout the whole entire game.”
Pittsburgh (7–19, 1–12) came into the game making only 26.4% of its 3-point attempts (14th in the ACC) with the fewest 3s in the ACC but was 5 of 7 in the first half before hitting 2 of 5 in the second half.
UNC started two post players, with senior Anya Poole (3 points, 4 rebounds) getting her first start of the season after starting 63 games the previous two seasons.
It was over 3½ minutes until an Ustby follow shot gave UNC its first points. That started a 9–0 run to give the Tar Heels a five-point lead, and UNC led 9–6 after the first quarter.
Banghart said it took a while for her team to adjust to the changing defenses Pitt threw. In addition to the 2–3 zone, the Panthers played some man-to-man and a tandem front.
After UNC went up by seven, the Panthers took a two-point lead when Bella Perkins’ 3-pointer capped a 12–3 run. Four Ustby points cut the deficit to four. But two Aaryn Battle 3-pointers fueled an 11–3 Panthers run to take a four-point lead, and Pitt held a 29–27 halftime edge despite UNC forcing 13 turnovers.
(Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics)
A pair of Donarski 3-pointers put an exclamation point on a 17–3 run to open the second half to give UNC an 11-point lead. Pitt stormed back to tie it at 46 when Bella Perkins’ steal and layup capped an 11–0 run. A late Nivar 3-pointer helped UNC take a 51–48 lead into the final quarter.
A Donarski 3-pointer and layups from Key and Ustby sparked a 9–3 run to put UNC up by seven. A Battle three-point play cut it to four with 4:47 remaining. But Carolina put the game away with a 10–0 run that included 3s from Donarski and Nivar.
King, second in the ACC at 10.7 rebounds per game, led the Panthers with 16 points and 14 rebounds, with Perkins adding 16 and Battle 11 as they lost their fifth consecutive game.
NOTES — Carolina plays three of its five remaining regular-season games on the road, beginning with Sunday’s 6 p.m. game at Wake Forest (ACC Network). The Deacons (4–21, 0–13) have lost 13 in a row after losing 71–63 at home Thursday to Florida State, last winning 66–59 at home against Marshall on Dec. 21. … Carolina and Virginia Tech, which beat Duke 61–56, were the only home teams in the ACC to win Thursday. … Deja Kelly is 32 of 35 (.914) at the free-throw line over the past four games, going 9 of 11 against Pitt. She leads the ACC in attempts with 133, with Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson second at 131. … The crowd of 2,508 gave UNC a home average of 3,458 for the season, which is sixth in the ACC. … Carolina is fourth in the ACC in turnover margin at +3.88. … UNC recognized former player Robyn Hadley, along with Lachonya Thompson and Danita Mason-Hogans, as Carolina Black Caucus honorees. … Carolina’s coaching staff wore Air Jordan 1s painted by players and UNC Children’s Hospital patients. The shoes will be auctioned here, with proceeds going to the hospital’s programs. … Sydney Barker logged her first minutes in ACC action since being awarded a scholarship, playing 13 seconds at Duke and 1:25 against Pitt. … UNC has won five consecutive games against Pitt and seven of the last eight, leading the series 8–6, including 5–1 in Chapel Hill.
UNC 75, Pitt 62
UNC season statistics
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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