By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — With the way that Lexi Donarski is shooting of late, Wake Forest had no shot at pulling an upset.
In the best shooting run of her career, the fifth-year guard scored five 3-pointers for the third consecutive game, pouring in 17 points, as No. 13 North Carolina pulled away from a four-point halftime lead for a 76–51 victory Thursday at Carmichael Arena.
At 18–3 with five straight wins, UNC (6–2 ACC) is off to its best 21-game start under Coach Courtney Banghart and the program’s best since the 2012–13 team began 19–2.
“I’ve really just enjoyed the journey,” said Banghart, who is in her sixth season. “We’ve still got some holes that we’ve got to shore up, but they’re better than they were a month ago, and that’s what matters.”
After Donarski’s 15th career game with at least five 3s and fourth this season, she couldn’t remember if she’s had a better shooting run than the last three games. Banghart couldn’t remember coaching a player with that sort of stretch.
“It’s been feeling really good,” said Donarski, who had a team-high 15.2 game score. “We take what they give us, and in the last couple of games, people have really been attacking the paint, going off of two feet when the defense collapses, and finding open shooters.”
Donarski has been getting more open shots in recent games and making opponents pay with a quicker release that her coaches have hounded her about.
“Every drill that we do, the coaches are on me to get it off a little bit quicker, no matter what. No matter how quick I get it off. If I think it’s quick, it’s not quick enough,” Donarski said. “Just continuing trying to get it just that much quicker so I can get it off against a team that would be able to contest it, but I’m able to get it off first.”
Donarski’s defense has been solid all season, but the shooting hasn’t been as consistent until the last couple of weeks and that has been a big driver of UNC’s win streak.
“I’m thrilled when she makes shots, but there are so many other parts of her game that we need her for,” Banghart said. “She’s incredibly vocal. She very much knows the game plan, and she’s able to share it. She infuses her teammates with confidence. She plays with joy.”
Banghart said that Donarski is much more than a “3 and D” player because of her leadership and how she keeps expanding her game.
“I feel like if as long as she knows what’s happening out there, I feel like everything’s okay,” Banghart said. “She will make sure people defensively are doing what they need to do. She’s doing more off the dribble. She’s changing her pace off the screens better.
Wake Forest (7–11, 0–8) may be winless in the league and mired in a seven-game losing streak, but the Deacs’ penchant for forcing turnovers (6th in the ACC) led to some sloppiness offensively for Carolina. However, UNC rebounded from nine turnovers in the second quarter — when a 16-point lead got chopped to two — with only one when the Heels took control in the third quarter.
“It’s always hard to win an ACC game, and that second quarter will be an opportunity for us to lock in and understand how much we have to stay focused, how we want to play,” said Banghart, who talked about the turnovers at halftime.
“ ‘Let’s remember where we can be good and where we can be better,’ ” was her halftime message. “And these guys are all ears. We were able to show them the pace and urgency.”
UNC had 16 turnovers, the fifth time this season the Tar Heels have had at least 16.
Grace Townsend’s aggressiveness off the bench was important in helping Carolina pull away. She finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two steals.
“I was attacking. I was aggressive but also trying to stay under control and look for my shot. Taking the shot without trying to force it,” Townsend (photo below) said.
When told that she drew six fouls, she reacted with a pause and a “wow.”
“We’ve been talking about recently getting out of transition,” Townsend said, “but also seeing the [outside shooters] when we get in the paint, looking for our shooters outside as the defense will collapse. So, I think that’s just a mix of making sure we’re focused on the game plan, and make sure we’re also looking for our teammates as well.”
Banghart said Townsend, who has come off the bench in all but three games, has always been there to give the team what it needs.
“Her ability to be aggressive and to put pressure on the defense is what we need,” Banghart said. “At times, it might feel like we’re asking her to be selfish, which we’re not. I think she’s adjusting to how her aggressiveness really is what this team needs.”
Freshman guard Lanie Grant scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half. Coming off a seven-steal game in Sunday’s 75–58 win at Pittsburgh, Indya Nivar got a team-high four steals.
Wake Forest jumped out to a 5–2 lead when UNC went scoreless for more than 4½ minutes. Donarski scored three 3-pointers in a 20–1 UNC run to end the first quarter to take a 22–6 lead.
The Deacons went without a field goal for over six minutes before Alyssa Andrews’ 3-pointer 1:17 into the second quarter. That was the first of three Wake Forest 3s during a 17–2 run to trim its deficit lead to two, taking advantage of eight of UNC’s nine turnovers in the quarter.
UNC only scored two field goals in the quarter, with Maria Gakdeng’s inside bucket at the buzzer giving the Heels a 32–28 halftime lead.
Donarski’s fifth 3-pointer came in a 7–0 run to shove the UNC lead to 13 on an Alyssa Ustby transition layup with 4:47 left in the third quarter. A Townsend layup gave UNC a 50–38 lead after three quarters.
A 14–2 UNC run — with 3s from Townsend, Donarski and Grant — pushed the lead to 20 with 3:54 left.
Rylie Theuerkauf scored 15 of her career-high 19 points in the second half to lead the Deacons.
NOTES — After three consecutive games against teams in the bottom of the league, the competition gets tougher at noon Sunday when Florida State visits Carmichael on Alumni Day. The Seminoles (15–4, 5–2), with a NET ranking of 26th, had Thursday off after rolling to an 88–66 victory Sunday over Miami for their second consecutive victory. … UNC’s NET ranking fell two spots after the win to 14, while the Deacs’ NET ranking went up two to 101. … In conference games, Donarski leads the ACC in 3-pointers with 25 and is second in 3-point percentage at 53.2%. … In league games, Nivar is third in the ACC in steals (2.9 per game). …. In ACC games, Ustby is third in the league in rebounding at 10.4 per game. … Junior transfer guard Tray Crisp missed her fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Banghart said she was close, noting that she must be feeling good considering how she was dancing on the sideline. … Wake Forest only had nine players in uniform. … This is the third consecutive season that UNC has won five consecutive ACC games. … Wake Forest hasn’t won a game since beating UNCG 54–50 on Dec. 20. … UNC leads the series 69–18 (the most wins against any opponent), including 34–4 in Chapel Hill, with four wins in a row at home. Wake Forest hasn’t won at Carmichael since 2017.
No. 13 UNC 76, Wake Forest 51
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Louisville | 10–0 | 20–3 | 9 |
| No. 20 Duke | 10–0 | 15–6 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 8–2 | 15–6 | 28 |
| Syracuse | 7–3 | 17–4 | 40 |
| Virginia Tech | 7–3 | 16–4 | 43 |
| Virginia | 7–3 | 15–6 | 37 |
| North Carolina | 6–3 | 17–5 | 21 |
| Clemson | 6–4 | 15–7 | 39 |
| Notre Dame | 5–5 | 13–8 | 32 |
| Stanford | 4–5 | 15–7 | 36 |
| California | 4–5 | 13–9 | 54 |
| Miami | 4–6 | 12–9 | 48 |
| Georgia Tech | 4–6 | 9–13 | 93 |
| Florida State | 2–7 | 7–14 | 108 |
| Wake Forest | 2–8 | 12–10 | 120 |
| SMU | 1–9 | 8–14 | 182 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–9 | 8–15 | 260 |
| Boston College | 0–10 | 4–19 | 250 |
* — Through Thursday games
Thursday’s results
Virginia 109, Wake Forest 103, 3 OTs
Virginia Tech 67, Pittsburgh 50
Syracuse 95, Georgia Tech 70
N.C. State 106, Boston College 84
Clemson 83, SMU 54
No. 7 Louisville 84, Stanford 66
No. 20 Duke 74, Miami 58
California 80, Notre Dame 69
Sunday’s games
Wake Forest at No. 20 Duke, noon, ACC Network
No 7 Louisville at California, 1 p.m.
Virginia at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Syracuse at Miami, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Boston College at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Stanford, 4 p.m.
Florida State at Clemson, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Monday’s game
North Carolina at N.C. State, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday, Feb. 5, games
Syracuse at Boston College, 6 p.m.
Stanford at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Clemson at North Carolina, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 20 Duke at No. 7 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
California at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wake Forest at SMU, 7:30, ACCN Extra
Florida State at N.C. State, 8 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. 78 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 | 6 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ACCN |
| 8 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 12 | Thursday | 6 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 20 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. 20 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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