By R.L. Bynum
No. 15 North Carolina bucked the trend in the first season of the two-coast ACC and got a huge Quad 1 victory in the process with one of its best defensive performances of the season.
The Tar Heels never trailed after the game’s first 70 seconds, breaking the game open with a 16–4 fourth-quarter run and rolling to a 65–52 victory at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif., to hand No. 19 Cal its first home loss.
UNC (18–5, 6–4 ACC) became the first eastern ACC team to win its first game on a California trip — men’s or women’s — with the victory, doing it with its best shooting in an ACC game at 47.4%.
“We knew what we were up against, and that really implored toughness,” said UNC coach Courtney Banghart, whose sport performance team had a strategy to overcome travel fatigue from a five-hour flight after the players attended Wednesday classes.
“They had to drink a certain amount, they had to eat a certain amount, they couldn’t sleep more than 45 minutes the entire flight so that we could sleep when we got there,” Banghart said. “I think I walked back twice [during the flight], because I also had the same directions and I’ve got an old lady back. They were playing Uno and keeping themselves awake as best they can.”
Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly was aggressive again offensively, scoring 16 points for the second consecutive game and pulling down five rebounds. Banghart said that UNC wanted to exploit the middle of the floor and that Kelly managed that game plan well.
“I give credit to CB,” Kelly said of Banghart. “She has been pushing me to be aggressive each game, and I’ve just been carrying it into each game I play. And I feel like I’ve been aggressive ever since.”
Banghart suggested that Kelly has shifted her approach.
“For her to be aggressive, maybe someone else doesn’t touch it, and that’s not really comfortable to her as someone wants to run the team, but that’s what this game called for,” Banghart said. “Her being aggressive helps our team win basketball games, and she’s starting to see that.”
The Bears (19–3, 7–2) scored seven fourth-quarter points and shot 37.3%, their second-worst shooting game of the season (they shot 35.6% in a loss at Duke) and second-lowest point total (they scored 38 against Duke).
“This was a really good defensive effort because it’s a lot of actions,” Banghart said of defending Cal.
UNC limited the ACC’s second-best 3-point shooting team, averaging 9.3 per game entering Thursday, to five 3s.
Iona Krimili (game-high 20 points) — the active NCAA leader in career 3s (and only one with at least 400 3s) who leads the ACC this season in 3-pointers — made four of those 3s. Lulu Twidale, averaging three 3-pointers per game, was 1 of 9 from outside the arc.
Coming off a frustrating 86–84 Sunday home loss to now No. 25 Florida State, it was a big bounce-back win for the Tar Heels.
“Against Florida State, there were too many possessions where we just didn’t have quite enough toughness,” Banghart said. “Maybe we left some layups on the glass, or maybe we weren’t as accountable defensively. We just really implored that the next step for this program is to be tough enough when the moment calls, and these guys were tough enough when the moment called, so they earned this one.”
Alyssa Ustby (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Maria Gakdeng (9 points, 13 rebounds) helped UNC dominate the rebounding battle 38–28.
“Maria and I specifically are just super, super hungry for rebounds, where there are times where Maria and I are fighting over the same rebound, and that’s exactly what we want,” Ustby said. “It’s really hard for other teams to want to get in that fight, especially if they bump around with us.”
Lanie Grant came off the bench to score 10 points, her fourth double-digit scoring game in a row, as Carolina played only eight players for the second consecutive game.
“On a night like tonight, with the physicality that the game was requiring, there’s a lot of experience on our roster,” Banghart said, explaining the tight rotation. “And to be able to utilize that experience in moments like this is really important. We will continue to do what the games call for. … I always say I don’t care who plays; I just want to win.”
After Ugonne Onyiah’s layup gave Cal a quick 2–0 lead, UNC scored seven in a row on an Ustby 3-pointer and two Kelly jumpers to seize a five-point lead and the Heels never trailed again.
Onyiah scored all but two of Cal’s first-quarter points, getting easy inside baskets on pick-and-rolls, as UNC led 16–12 entering the second quarter on a Grace Townsend layup. Onyiah, who picked up her second foul and got whistled for her fourth early in the final quarter, only scored four of her 14 points in the final three quarters.
After Krimili’s second 3-pointer cut UNC’s lead to one, the Tar Heels reeled off an 8–3 run to take a six-point edge after two Gakdeng layups. Cal responded with six straight points to tie it after two Marta Suarez layups.
Cal went scoreless in the last four minutes of the first half, while UNC scored the last seven points — as Ustby hit a follow shot and Lexi Donarski scored on a drive and a 3-pointer — to take a 33–26 halftime lead.
The Tar Heels opened the second half with a 6–3 run, taking a 10-point lead on an Ustby jumper 2½ minutes into the second half. Two Krimili free throws capped a 9–0 Cal run to cut UNC’s lead to one, 39–38, with 5:18 left in the third quarter.
Kelly’s layup ended nearly a four-minute UNC scoring drought on a drive to start a 6–2 Tar Heels run that Grant capped with a deep, straight-away 3-pointer to push the Tar Heels’ lead to five.
Krimili hit two free throws with 35 seconds left after a referee whistled Ustby for a flagrant foul for an elbow to Krimili’s chest, but UNC led 47–45 after three quarters.
Carolina scored the first five points of the final quarter — three on Grant free throws — to take a seven-point lead.
Cal went 7½ minutes without a field goal before a Krimili jumper with 3:42 left. But that came after UNC opened the final quarter with a 9–2 run to go up by nine points. After that Cal score, UNC scored seven straight points to go up by 14.
NOTES — Carolina finishes its two-game California swing at 3 p.m. ET Sunday (The CW) at Stanford. The Cardinal (11–9, 3–6) beat Pittsburgh at home Thursday 58–46 to snap a two-game losing streak, making all 15 free-throw attempts. … Carolina moved up three spots in the NET rankings to 12th with the victory, which moved the Tar Heels to 3–4 in Quad 1 games. UNC is 16–0 in all other games. … UNC guard Tray Crisp missed her sixth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. … Carolina’s three 3-pointers were the Tar Heels’ second-fewest this season behind the two 3s against Duke in the 53–46 overtime win over Duke on Jan. 9, and the eight attempts tied the Duke game for the fewest. … Cal only rebounded 18.5% of its misses. … It was the first meeting since Cal beat UNC 92–72 in Waco, Texas, in the first round of the 2019 NCAA tournament, Sylvia Hatchell’s last game at the Tar Heels’ head coach. … UNC leads the series 3–2 after its first win over the Bears since 1999. … This was the fifth win in the Banghart era against a ranked team on the road. … UNC is 4–0 in ACC road games for the first time since the 2011–12 season and 5–0 in all road games for the first time since the 2006–07 season.
No. 15 UNC 65, No. 19 Cal 52
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Notre Dame | 9–0 | 18–2 | 6 |
| No. 17 N.C. State | 9–1 | 17–4 | 23 |
| No. 10 Duke | 8–1 | 17–4 | 8 |
| Louisville | 8–2 | 15–6 | 41 |
| No. 25 Florida State | 7–2 | 17–4 | 22 |
| No. 15 North Carolina | 7–3 | 19–4 | 12 |
| No. 19 California | 6–3 | 18–4 | 38 |
| No. 20 Georgia Tech | 5–4 | 17–4 | 21 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–5 | 14–7 | 50 |
| Clemson | 4–6 | 11–10 | 64 |
| Stanford | 3–6 | 11–9 | 45 |
| Miami | 3–7 | 13–8 | 85 |
| Boston College | 3–7 | 12–11 | 73 |
| Virginia | 3–7 | 11–11 | 79 |
| Syracuse | 3–7 | 9–12 | 92 |
| SMU | 2–8 | 10–12 | 112 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–8 | 9–13 | 151 |
| Wake Forest | 1–9 | 8–13 | 99 |
Thursday’s results
No. 15 North Carolina 65, No. 19 California 52
No. 3 Notre Dame 77, Virginia Tech 61
No. 17 N.C. State 90, Wake Forest 83
No. 25 Florida State 104, Boston College 80
Miami 77, Virginia 74
Louisville 80, SMU 75
Stanford 58, Pittsburgh 46
Sunday’s games
No. 3 Notre Dame at Louisville, noon, ESPN2
Virginia at Syracuse, noon, ACCN
No. 20 Georgia Tech at Miami, 2 p.m., ACCN
SMU at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Clemson at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 15 North Carolina at Stanford, 3 p.m., The CW
Pittsburgh at No. 19 California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Wake Forest at No. 25 Florida State, 6 p.m., ACCN
Monday’s game
No. 10 Duke at No. 17 N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Thursday’s games
Boston College at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Syracuse at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ACCN
Clemson at No. 10 Duke, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
SMU at No. 20 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 25 Florida State at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 19 California at Louisville, 8 p.m., ACCN
Stanford at No. 3 Notre Dame, 8:30, ESPN
| 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. 20 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. 10 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 | W, 75–58 | at Pitt | 17–3, 5–2 |
| 23 | Thursday | W, 76–51 | vs. Wake Forest | 18–3, 6–2 |
| 26 | Sunday | L, 86–84 | vs. No. 25 Florida State | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 30 | Thursday | W, 65–52 | at No. 19 Cal | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 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. 17 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. 10 Duke | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Virginia | The CW |
| 5–9 | Wed.–Sun. | ACC tournament Greensboro |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
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