By R.L. Bynum
DALLAS — Four days after the agony of a historic collapse, No. 14 North Carolina only added to SMU’s misery and offensive malaise.
The Mustangs, who tied the NCAA women’s Division I record by blowing a 32-point lead in a 13-point Sunday loss at Pittsburgh, collected more turnovers (21) than field goals (12) as the Tar Heels’ relentless defense claimed another victim.
In the most overpowering defensive performance of the season, UNC held SMU to a season-low point total and the fewest the Tar Heels have given up this season in a 64–33 victory Thursday at the Moody Coliseum.
It was the second-fewest points allowed in an ACC game in program history. The victory margin could have been significantly higher if not for 15 missed layup attempts and shooting a season-low 36.4% (4 of 11) from the free-throw line.
“I thought we did a lot of good things on the defensive end,” said UNC coach Courtney Banghart, who didn’t like the way her team defended in Sunday’s 80–67 home win over Boston College but said that she has some of the best primary defenders she’s ever coached. “We really made it difficult for some of their guys to get what they want.”
That was particularly true for SMU’s leading scorer, Nya Robertson, who came into the game third in the ACC in scoring (20.9 per game). She was scoreless in the first half and had only five points, half her previous low total for the season.
Carolina (16–3, 4–2 ACC) held SMU (10–8, 2–4) — who was scoreless in the third quarter of its 72–69 loss to Pittsburgh — to single-digit points in each of the first three quarters, marking 16 times the Tar Heels have held an opponent under 10 points in a period. It was the first time it’s happened three times in a game (they’ve done it twice in three games).
UNC played masterful ball-screen defense against SMU, making it a nightmare for the Mustangs with constant switching.
The Tar Heels’ Swiss army knife, fifth-year wing Alyssa Ustby, sliced through the SMU defense for 12 points, a season-high 18 rebounds (thee most by an ACC player in a conference game this season, matching her career-high Jan. 15, 2023, against N.C. State), 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals to record her 46th career double-double and eighth this season.
“She had about a million rebounds and really did a good job on the ball-screen defense, being able to switch out and keep bodies in front of the ball,” Banghart said.
Fifth-year guard Lexi Donarski, who had gone 2 of 8 from 3-point range in the previous two games, tied her season high with 5 3s, poured in a game-high 15 points, and was the primary defender on Robertson.
“It’s an entire team effort, especially with someone as talented and as quick and shifty as she is,” Donarski said. “Some of it comes down to you’ve got to just get in a stance and try to keep the ball in front of you.”
The 5–7 Robertson had to deal with having taller players such as Ustby, Maria Gakdeng (10 points, 7 rebounds, career-high 4 steals, 2 blocks) and Ciera Toomey switching onto her.
“Anyone that was in our five positions, being able to step up and really help contain for one to two dribbles after the ball screen was critical to keeping her in front of us,” Donarski said.
Indya Nivar’s 21st birthday bash was no fun for SMU as she collected nine of her 11 points in the first half and jump-started the rout by outscoring SMU 7–6 in the first quarter. She also guarded Robertson and was a big part of the defensive effort.
“No islands was our big thing coming into this game,” she said, “making sure we were in the gaps to help the on-ball, defender, and then making sure our secondary defense was there as well.”
SMU could never get much going offensively and shot 19.4%, with Kaysia Woods the only Mustang to score in double figures with 12 points. It was the fourth time under Banghart that an opponent has shot under 20%, but the first time in an ACC game.
“They can switch one through four,” SMU coach Toyelle Wilson, explaining why her team struggled, scoring only .452 points per possession. “They’re long and athletic. They can make you settle for bad shots. They force you into turnovers. Disruptive, they speed you up, all those things that they did to our players.”
After SMU took a brief lead on Woods’ 3-pointer in the first minute, the Mustangs were scoreless for more than seven minutes as UNC scored the next nine points, seven from Nivar. Carolina led 13–6 after one quarter on a Grace Townsend 3-pointer with 1:18 left.
“This whole week, us guards were focusing on change of speeds, making sure that when we attack-retreat, we still might have a lane to get past our defenders, and being aggressive, because when we’re aggressive, that’s when our offense flows. That’s when we get open shots on the three,” Nivar said.
Donarski got more open perimeter shots than recently, and she credited UNC’s approach of changing speeds.
“[We were] getting your feet in the paint, or attacking a gap and trying to get either the big defender or one of the guard defenders to collapse on that so we can find open shooters, and also in transition,” Donarski said.
Ustby scored three layups to start an 8–0 UNC run to start the second quarter to take advantage of an SMU scoring drought of more than 6½ minutes. Lanie Grant’s drive at the buzzer gave UNC a 31–14 halftime lead.
UNC took a 44–22 lead into the fourth quarter after a Donarski 3. Carolina’s lead ballooned to 28 when Sydney Barker fired in a 3-pointer, and Nivar scored on a drive during a 13–4 run.
NOTES — Carolina plays its second consecutive road game at 2 p.m. Sunday (ACC Network) against Pittsburgh (9–10, 1–5), which lost 83–67 Thursday at No. 21 N.C. State. Khadija Faye scored a season-high 28 points for the Panthers. … SMU’s 19.4% shooting was a season-low by a UNC opponent and the lowest since South Carolina State shot 15.2% on Nov. 16, 2022. … It was the fourth game the Tar Heels have shot 50% or worse at the free-throw line. … The record for fewest points allowed in an ACC game is 31 against Georgia Tech on Jan. 18, 2007. … Carolina’s 31-point win is the largest since a 47-point victory against Miami 47 on Feb. 6, 2022, and the largest ACC win on the road since a 100–65 win at Clemson on Jan. 11, 2007. … With three assists, Townsend eclipsed 600 for her career, now with 602. … This was the first all-time meeting between UNC and SMU. … Guard Tray Crisp didn’t make the trip to SMU as she works through a lower-body injury suffered in the BC game. Since she wasn’t going to play, Banghart wanted her to stay in Chapel Hill so she could be in the weight room and not miss two full rehab days. Banghart said it wasn’t a serious injury. … Carolina is 6–5 in Texas, winning its previous visit 79–46 in 2021 over TCU. … UNC is 2–0 on the road in the ACC for the first time since 2013–14 and 3–0 in road games, the best start since the 2021–22 team won its first four and the 17th time in program history.
No. 14 UNC 64, SMU 33
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Notre Dame | 6–0 | 15–2 |
| Louisville | 6–1 | 13–5 |
| No. 16 Duke | 5–1 | 14–4 |
| No. 21 N.C. State | 5–1 | 13–4 |
| No. 18 California | 4–2 | 16–3 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 4–2 | 16–3 |
| Florida State | 4–2 | 14–4 |
| No. 17 Georgia Tech | 3–3 | 15–3 |
| Virginia Tech | 3–3 | 12–5 |
| Virginia | 3–3 | 11–7 |
| Clemson | 3–4 | 10–8 |
| Stanford | 2–4 | 10–7 |
| Boston College | 2–4 | 11–8 |
| SMU | 2–4 | 10–8 |
| Miami | 1–5 | 11–6 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 9–10 |
| Syracuse | 1–5 | 7–10 |
| Wake Forest | 0–6 | 7–10 |
Thursday’s games
No. 14 North Carolina 64, SMU 33
No. 3 Notre Dame 81, No. 17 Georgia Tech 66
Stanford 64, Wake Forest 68
Virginia 73, Virginia Tech 65
Florida State 82, Clemson 67
No. 21 N.C. State 83, Pittsburgh 67
Boston College 83, Miami 79
Louisville 72, Syracuse 62
No. 16 Duke 72, No. 18 California 38
Sunday’s games
Syracuse at Boston College, noon, ACCN
Stanford at No. 16 Duke, 1 p.m.
No. 14 North Carolina at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., ACCN
Clemson at No. 17 Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Virginia at No. 21 N.C. State, 2 p.m., The CW
No. 18 California at Wake Forest, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at Florida State, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Louisville at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m., ACCN
SMU at No. 3 Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACCN
Thursday’s games
No. 21 N.C. State at Syracuse, 6 p.m., ACCN
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wake Forest at No. 14 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 17 Georgia Tech at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at Clemson, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 3 Notre Dame at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 16 Duke at SMU, 8 p.m., ACCN
No. 18 California at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
| Date | Day/month | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current rank) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | W, 83–53 | vs. Charleston Southern | 1–0 |
| 7 | Thursday | W, 77–50 | vs. UNCW | 2–0 |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 66–47 | at N.C. A&T | 3–0 |
| 15 | Friday | L, 69–58 | vs. No. 6 UConn in Greensboro | 3–1 |
| Battle 4 Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas | ||||
| 23 | Saturday | W, 63–52 | Ball State | 4–1 |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 53–36 | Villanova | 5–1 |
| 25 | Monday | W, 69–39 | Indiana | 6–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 119–43 | vs. N.C. Central | 7–1 |
| December | ||||
| ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge | ||||
| 5 | Thursday | W, 72–53 | vs. No. 12 Kentucky | 8–1 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 8 | Sunday | W, 72–46 | vs. Coppin State | 9–1 |
| 11 | Wednesday | W, 80–56 | vs. UNCG | 10–1 |
| 15 | Sunday | L, 82–76 | vs. No. 17 Georgia Tech | 10–2, 0–1 ACC |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 18 | Wednesday | W, 77–57 | vs. Florida | 11–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | W, 90–47 | vs. Norfolk State | 12–2 |
| ACC season | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | W, 69–60 | at Miami | 13–2, 1–1 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 5 | Sunday | L, 76–66 | vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | 13–3, 1–2 |
| 9 | Thursday | W, 53–46, OT | vs. No. 16 Duke | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 80–67 | vs. Boston College | 15–3, 3–2 |
| 16 | Thursday | W, 64–33 | at SMU | 16–3, 4–2 |
| 19 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Pitt | ACCN |
| 23 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN Extra |
| 26 | Sunday | Noon | vs. Florida State | ACCN |
| 30 | Thursday | TBA | at No. 18 Cal | ACCN Extra |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | 3 p.m. ET | at Stanford | The CW |
| 9 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Clemson | ACCN Extra |
| 13 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Virginia Tech | ACCN Extra |
| 16 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. No. 21 N.C. State | ESPN |
| 20 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ACCN |
| 23 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Louisville | ESPN |
| 27 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at No. 16 Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Virginia | The CW |
| 5–9 | Wed.–Sun. | ACC tournament Greensboro |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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