By Bob Sutton
CHAPEL HILL — If this is what’s referred to as a tune-up, the North Carolina women’s basketball team is well-oiled for what’s to come.
The No. 19 Tar Heels operated in good order in their final non-conference game, blasting visiting Norfolk State 90–47 on Saturday afternoon at Carmichael Arena.
“It’s exactly what we wanted to do,” freshman guard Lanie Grant said. “We wanted to go out on a good win just so we could come back with some momentum, and we did that, and we’re going to keep capitalizing.”
Grant racked up 15 points off the bench, and Grace Townsend had 14 points. Lexi Donarski and Maria Gakdeng each scored 11 points, and Alyssa Ustby and reserve Ciera Tommey finished with 10 points apiece. For the most part, starters had the fourth quarter off.
Next for the Tar Heels (12–2) is a stretch of 17 consecutive ACC games, beginning Dec. 29 at Miami before three consecutive home games.
A team spokeswoman said that Tar Heels coach Courtney Banghart didn’t attend the media session as she had a flight to catch.
It turned into a nice shooting demonstration for the Tar Heels, with six players connecting on at least one 3-pointer. North Carolina was 14-for-31 on 3s despite missing its final three attempts. Grant hit four 3s.
“In these type of games, given the score what it was, I think we were able to focus on playing with one another, getting each other the best shot, even when they went zone,” Townsend said. “The way we were able to share the ball, we shot the ball extremely well. That was the big thing for us.”
Diamond Johnson’s 19 points paced Norfolk State (11–4), the two-time reigning MEAC champion.
North Carolina led 49–19 at halftime, with the Tar Heels shooting 50% the Spartans at 20% from the floor.
It took Norfolk State almost six minutes into the second half before scoring.
“It’s a testament to this team, we take a lot of pride in our defense,” Townsend said. “Even if our shots aren’t going in, we try to get stops every possession. I think a big key for this game, keeping them out [of the lane] — they were able to get into the paint on a lot of teams – so I think that’s just a testament to our defense.”
The Tar Heels had five reserves on the court to begin the fourth quarter.
Donarski went 3-for-3 on 3-pointers in the first six minutes as the Tar Heels built a 20-6 lead. The team’s other three first-half 3-pointers came with one apiece from Grant, Laila Hull and Trayanna Crisp.
Ustby had 11 of North Carolina’s 41 rebounds, and Towsend topped the assists chart with five.
Johnson, a former N.C. State guard, notched all except four of her points in the second half. The Spartans were 3-for-23 on 3-pointers in the game.
It was an abbreviated postgame session with media as team members were eager to depart on a holiday break.
NOTES — It was the first meeting between the programs. … Four of North Carolina’s victories this season have come against HBCUs (also N.C. A&T, N.C. Central and Coppin State are the others). … The Spartans lost for the second time against a nationally ranked opponent, falling at Alabama last month. … Announced attendance was a season-low for a home game at 2,211.
Bob Sutton is a veteran ACC sports writer who is the former North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year and was the sports editor of the Burlington Times-News for 25 years.
No. 19 UNC 90, Norfolk State 47
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Duke | 13–0 | 18–6 | 9 |
| No. 9 Louisville | 12–1 | 22–4 | 7 |
| N.C. State | 10–3 | 17–7 | 24 |
| No. 21 North Carolina | 9–3 | 20–5 | 19 |
| Syracuse | 9–4 | 19–5 | 37 |
| Virginia | 9–4 | 17–7 | 36 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–5 | 18–7 | 44 |
| Clemson | 8–5 | 17–8 | 39 |
| Notre Dame | 7–6 | 15–9 | 30 |
| California | 6–6 | 15–10 | 51 |
| Georgia Tech | 6–7 | 11–14 | 90 |
| Stanford | 5–7 | 16–9 | 42 |
| Miami | 4–9 | 12–12 | 55 |
| Florida State | 3–9 | 8–16 | 104 |
| Wake Forest | 3–10 | 13–12 | 131 |
| SMU | 1–11 | 8–16 | 191 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–11 | 8–17 | 256 |
| Boston College | 0–13 | 4–22 | 252 |
* — Through Sunday games
Sunday’s results
No. 21 North Carolina 84, Wake Forest 56
No. 9 Louisville 84, Syracuse 65
N.C. State 82, Virginia Tech 62
California 95, Pittsburgh 80
No. 11 Duke 95, SMU 36
Virginia 81, Notre Dame 70
Florida State 87, Miami 70
Georgia Tech 74, Stanford 52
Clemson 83, Boston College 59
Thursday’s games
SMU at No. 21 North Carolina, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Syracuse at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Boston College at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wake Forest at No. 9 Louisville, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Georgia Tech at Clemson, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Virginia Tech at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Sunday’s games
Pittsburgh at SMU, noon, ACC Network
Miami at Boston College, noon, ACCN Extra
No. 21 North Carolina at No. 11 Duke, 1 p.m., ABC
Virginia at Stanford, 2 p.m., The CW
Clemson at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
N.C. State at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., ESPN
Virginia Tech at California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Florida State at No. 6 Louisville, 6 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 3 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. 4 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 9 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 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 | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 11 Duke | ABC |
| 19 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ACCN |
| 22 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Pittsburgh | ACCN |
| 26 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia | ACCN Extra |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | Noon | vs. No. 11 Duke | ESPN |
| ACC tournament | ||||
| 4–8 | Wed.-Sun | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | ||
| 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
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