By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — With the game on the line, Florida State guard Ta’Niya Latson showed why she’s the nation’s leading scorer and left No. 13 North Carolina heartbroken.
After Latson’s shot-fake drew UNC’s Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar in the air, she drove by them and between Alyssa Ustby and Blanca Thomas for the game-winning bucket at the buzzer to give the Seminoles an 86–84 win Sunday, their fifth consecutive victory at Carmichael Arena.
“Games like this just come down to grit, and they had a little bit more than we did at the end,” Ustby said. “We need to take the lessons that we can from this game so it doesn’t happen again because we don’t want to get in a position like this and be on this end of a loss ever again. We have to use that as fuel.”
Florida State (16–4, 6–2 ACC) made an inbounds pass with 3.5 seconds left that went directly to Latson.
“We wanted to get it out of her hands,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “That’s what happens in these big games with high-level players, is, to win games, you’ve got to make layups, and you’ve got to have guys step up. And they had their bench do that a little more than we did.”
Carolina (18–4, 6–3) has struggled at the free-throw line most of the season, but had made 10 of 11 before Maria Gakdeng (who led five Tar Heels scoring in double figures with 21 points) and Lanie Grant (13 points) each split pairs of free throws in the last 2:03 that could have been the difference, although Grant made two big ones with 51.1 seconds left.
“I think this is a really good team who had to play really well again to beat us,” said Banghart, whose team shot 82.4% from the line, the second-best this season behind the 87.0% in a win over Norfolk State. “We have a really good team, too.”
Thomas was a big factor on defense with three blocks, shuttling in for defense with Gakdeng coming in for offense in the final minutes (similarly with Grant coming in for offense and Indya Nivar for defense late).
But Thomas missed two layup attempts in a 31-second stretch with a little more than four minutes left. She wasn’t the only one to miss easy shots, though, as the Tar Heels made only 17 of 31 layup attempts.
“We needed a little bit more from a couple more of our guys to pull it out, whether that’s free throws or layups or rebounds or whatnot,” Banghart said.
The mission was to stop Latson, a dynamic sophomore, and 6–2 center Mikayla Timpson, but a third player — Sydney Bowles, a career 29.2% 3-point shooter — became an X factor with 18 points and a career-high six 3-pointers, including a huge 3 with eight seconds left.
“One of our goals was to take away their best players. I can’t say Sydney Bowles was at a high level on our scouting report,” Banghart said. “I thought these guys really defended pretty well. I think we lost Bowles a few times off the strong side, which shouldn’t happen, and statistically, she also shouldn’t go six for nine [from 3-point range].”
Latson scored 25 points (with seven assists), but tough defense from Lexi Donarski required her to take 22 shots to get them. Timpson leads the ACC in blocks and swatted away three shots, but battled foul trouble and finished with 15 points, fouling out with 5:43 left.
It wasn’t the first time battling Timpson inside for Gakdeng and Ustby, who put up her 47th career double-double and ninth this season with 14 points, two 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and three assists.
“We respect each other a ton, because we have a similar grind down in the low post — 6-2 forwards that are really active on the glass, and so we were kind of beating each other up a little bit,” said Ustby who played all 40 minutes and had a couple of scratches on her right arm near her shoulder from one encounter inside.
It looked like UNC was taking control in the third quarter when it went from one first-half offensive rebound to five in that quarter and held FSU without a 3-pointer after the Seminoles scored seven in the first half. The Seminoles battled back, though, to flip a five-point deficit to a five-point lead with a 12–2 run late in that quarter.
“We actually thought at halftime we were all right. I told them this halftime isn’t about readjustment,” Banghart said. “It’s about just breathing and keeping your energy so you can continue to play with a high level of focus and high level of energy.”
Slowing down a Noles offense that came into the game averaging 92.0 points, the second-highest in the country, was always going to be a challenge. FSU’s 31 field goals were the most by an opponent this season (topping the 30 by Georgia Tech in an 82–76 Dec. 15 loss) and UNC’s two steals were a season-low (previous low was four in the 72–53 Dec. 5 home win over Kentucky). But the Tar Heels came up with enough offense to give themselves a chance to win, shooting 46.4%.
“We had good flows and bad flows of offense, and we’re just trying to hang on to those good flows as long as possible, and we’re just gonna keep watching film and adjusting before we get on the road,” Ustby said. “I think our team is best when we slow down and we work together. But we also are still hunting aggressive attacks, because it’s much easier to make open shots when another teammate creates it for you.”
Kelly, who had 16 points, a season-high tying six rebounds (also in the 64–33 win Jan. 16 at SMU) and three assists, said that ball movement is making Carolina’s offense better.
“I feel like in the last couple of games, we didn’t have a lot of movement,” Kelly said. “We were very stagnant. And I think last practice, we just made sure we moved the ball more and just make sure we push the pace.”
Florida State scored the game’s first seven points, the last on a Latson jumper 1:48 into the game. A layup and Ustby’s second 3-pointer of the opening quarter cut the lead to one with 4:38 left. The FSU pushed back to eight before back-to-back Gakdeng buckets cut it back to two, and the Noles led 25–23 after one quarter.
Carolina took its first lead and went up by three, 38–35, on a 15–4 run that included two Grant 3-pointers. FSU took a brief two-point lead, but Kelly scored every point during a 6–2 run to end the first half with UNC ahead 44–43.
UNC’s only first-half rebound came on a held ball after the ball got stuck on the rim.
After the teams traded leads for the first 5½ minutes of the second half, UNC went on a 6–0 run — during which Timpson picked up her fourth foul on a charge call — to go up by five on two Kelly free throws with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
FSU charged back — with six points from Latson — to go up by five before a Grace Townsend layup cut UNC’s deficit to 65–62 after three quarters.
With Timpson on the bench, Gakdeng scored UNC’s first eight points of the final quarter, and a Donarski 3-pointer with 6:53 left made it an 11–4 run to give UNC a four-point lead. After Timpson fouled out, Grant’s 3-pointer shoved UNC’s lead to five.
Bowles swished a long-distance 3, and a Latson drive capped a 9–3 FSU run to give the Noles a two-point lead with 2:54 left. After Gakdeng split two free throws, a Latson drive with 1:36 left put the Noles up by three.
Grant’s two free throws with 51.1 seconds left to cut the deficit to one. After FSU’s Mariana Valenzuela missed a 3-point attempt, Ustby fed Gakdeng for a layup with 18.2 seconds left — Carolina’s first field goal in more than four minutes — for a one-point UNC lead.
The Noles led by two after Bowles fired in her career-high sixth 3-pointer with 7.2 seconds left, but Kelly’s short jumper with 3.5 seconds left tied it at 84, setting up Latson’s game-winning shot.
NOTES — Carolina makes its first trip to California for ACC games this week, playing at No. 22 California (18–3, 6–2) at 10 p.m. ET Thursday (ACC Network Extra) and at Stanford (10–9, 2–6) at 3 p.m. ET Sunday (The CW). Both teams had Sunday off after Cal won at Stanford 75–72 on Thursday. … This was a Quad 1 game, dropping the Tar Heels to 2–4 in those games. UNC is 16–0 in all other games. … UNC fell two spots in the NET rankings to 15 after the loss, while Florida State went up two spots to 23rd. … Carolina is 0–3 when it gives up more than 67 points and 17–1 in all other games. … The 82 points were the most UNC has given up this season. The previous high came in an 82–76 home loss to Georgia Tech. … On Alumni Day, 49 former UNC players were at the game. … Junior transfer guard Tray Crisp missed her fifth consecutive game with a lower-body injury, but Banghart said she expects Crisp to make the West Coast trip. … UNC has lost three in a row and nine of the last 10 to Florida State, but leads the series 34–18, including 14–9 in Chapel Hill. … The announced attendance of 4,313 was the second-highest for a home game this season, behind only the 4,785 for the 76–66 loss on Jan. 5 to Notre Dame. … Florida State’s 14 offensive rebounds tied a season-high by a UNC opponent (also in the 53–46 overtime home win over Duke on Jan. 9 and in the 90–47 home win Dec. 21 over Norfolk State). … Donarski tied season-highs for with five rebounds (also against Kentucky) and four assists (also against Notre Dame), but committed a season-high four turnovers (previous high two against Duke).
FSU 86, No. 13 UNC 84
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Louisville | 11–0 | 21–3 | 8 |
| No. 17 Duke | 11–0 | 16–6 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 8–2 | 15–6 | 28 |
| Syracuse | 8–3 | 18–4 | 40 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–3 | 18–5 | 42 |
| No. 25 North Carolina | 6–3 | 17–5 | 22 |
| Virginia | 7–4 | 15–7 | 37 |
| Clemson | 7–4 | 16–7 | 38 |
| Notre Dame | 6–5 | 14–8 | 31 |
| Georgia Tech | 5–6 | 10–13 | 91 |
| Stanford | 4–5 | 15–7 | 36 |
| California | 4–6 | 13–10 | 54 |
| Miami | 4–7 | 12–10 | 45 |
| Florida State | 2–8 | 7–15 | 109 |
| Wake Forest | 2–9 | 12–11 | 118 |
| SMU | 1–9 | 8–14 | 180 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–9 | 8–15 | 260 |
| Boston College | 0–11 | 4–20 | 250 |
* — Through Saturday games
Sunday’s results
No. 17 Duke 80, Wake Forest 44
No. 6 Louisville 71, California 59
Virginia Tech 76, Virginia 64
Syracuse 65, Miami 60
Georgia Tech 70, Boston College 60
Notre Dame 78, Stanford 66
Clemson 77, Florida State 58
Monday’s game
No. 25 North Carolina at N.C. State, 6 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday’s games
Syracuse at Boston College, 6 p.m.
Stanford at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Clemson at No. 25 North Carolina, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 17 Duke at No. 6 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
Sunday’s games
No. 6 Louisville at Syracuse, noon, ACCN Extra
N.C. State at Virginia Tech, noon, ACC Network
California at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. ACCN Extra
No. 25 North Carolina at Wake Forest, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at No. 17 Duke, 2 p.m. The CW
Notre Dame at Virginia, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at Florida State, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stanford at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Boston College at Clemson, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
| 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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