By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Once No. 12 North Carolina’s defense dug in, the Tar Heels wouldn’t be denied.
Virginia Tech didn’t score again after tying it with 2:51 left as the Tar Heels pulled out a 67–62 win Thursday at Carmichael Arena for UNC’s fourth straight win to end a six-game losing streak against the Hokies.
A huge late stop and graduate guard Lexi Donarski’s game-winning drive with 27.5 seconds left secured the fourth consecutive season with 10 ACC wins for UNC (22–4, 10–3 ACC).
“When these guys clamp down defensively, we can be a really good defensive team,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “I thought in the first half we were a bit kind of on our heels, and we’ve got to find that fire that we played with in that fourth quarter, and we’ve done it now three games in a row. We’ve been able to get key stops, but I think we can defend better.”
Donarski was getting no space on the perimeter with UNC clinging to a one-point lead, so she quickly drove by Matilda Ekh for the game-winning left-handed layup off the dribble to put UNC up by three.
“They just stayed glued to her, and so she caught it, didn’t hesitate, got herself right to the rim. That was a huge play, and it might have been the clincher,” Banghart said.
Donarski continues to show in recent games that if you keep her from getting off a perimeter shot, it doesn’t mean you are going to deny her a bucket. She said that she has been working a lot in practice on putting the ball on the floor and finishing at the rim.
“I had come off a flare [screen] and a pin-down, and she was right up on me,” said Donarski, who scored 15 points, three 3-pointers and was one of four Tar Heels with two steals. “At that point, I didn’t have a shot, and I’m like, ‘She’s too close.’ So, I was attacking the gap and just seeing what I had. If anyone would have helped, I would have gotten into our open shooters on the wing, but the lane was there, so I just kept going.”
UNC’s defense took over from there.
UNC switched off the sort of screens Virginia Tech set all night, forcing Carys Baker — who had made all three 3-point attempts — to take a long, off-balanced 3-pointer with Alyssa Ustby’s hand in her face with 4.4 seconds that didn’t fall.
Knowing that the Hokies needed a 3-pointer, UNC switched on everything, not concerned about opening up driving lanes to the basket.
“We wanted to keep bodies away,” Banghart said. “We wanted to make sure we contested at the arc, so we switched everything. If you miss your matchup there, they might slip it or curl it, but that’s worth two, so we didn’t really care about that.”
Reniya Kelly put the game away with two of her game-high 20 points — matching her career-high — at the free throw line with 4.4 seconds left.
When Virginia Tech (16–9, 7–7) seized the momentum early in the final quarter, Kelly, who has a career-high five consecutive double-digit scoring games, said the team discussed the fire they needed to win the game.
“I feel like we didn’t have any energy the whole game,” said Kelly, with her five-year-old brother Landon sitting on her lap. “So, I feel like the last few minutes of the game, we just needed it, and we had it. So, I think that was very important for the last few minutes.”
Athletic and fast graduate guard Grace Townsend helped ignite that fire on both ends of the court in the fourth quarter with five of her eight points, two of her three rebounds and one of her two assists.
“She’s really good,” Donarski said. “She’s really experienced, and she just plays with so much joy and energy that it helps all of us around her. She’s willing to attack the paint for herself or for others, and she’s willing to give it all she has on defense, to force steals or to make the ball-handler feel flustered, like we’ve mentioned before. She just never takes a play off.”
While it may have been comforting not to see Georgia Amoore or Elizabeth Kitley playing for the Hokies or Kenny Brooks coaching them, these Hokies, under first-year coach Megan Duffy, are feisty as they fight on the NCAA tournament bubble.
The Hokies entered the game as the 15th-best 3-point-shooting team in the country (37%) and made a season-best 61.5% of their 3-point shots (8 of 13). That made it important for UNC to find the perimeter range.
After Carolina only scored three 3-pointers in Sunday’s 53–51 win at Clemson, Donarski scored three in the first half and UNC was 6 of 17 for the game.
“We need to have a well-balanced offense, and I feel like taking the shots outside opens up lanes for everyone else,” Donarski said. “So, it’s something that we need to get people to be able to go off the dribble because they’re hugging me, and they can attack my gaps. So I feel like it just adds a more well-rounded feel to our offense.”
Carolina shared the ball well, with seven players collecting at least two assists, as 15 of UNC’s 25 field goals were assisted.
“This is a complete basketball team. And they all have to bring their piece,” Banghart said.
Ustby only scored five points, but she pulled down 16 rebounds to pass Charlotte Smith (1,200; 1991–95) and move to second all-time on the program’s career rebounding list with 2,210.
Both teams traded three-point leads in the first four minutes. A Kelly jumper ended a nearly three-minute scoring drought; then, she made a no-look pass to Maria Gakdeng for a layup in a 10–2 run to give the Heels a nine-point lead. An Indya Nivar drive gave UNC a 25–14 lead after UNC shot 58.8% in the first quarter.
Carolina led by 11 points 90 seconds into the second quarter, but Virginia Tech sliced its halftime deficit to 37–32 by ending the first half with a 6–2 run, and UNC cooled off to 28.6% shooting in the second quarter. After picking up her second foul, Gakdeng only played three second-quarter minutes.
The Hokies took a four-point lead with a 16–6 run on Kayl Peterson’s layup with 2:45 left in the third quarter as UNC went scoreless for nearly four minutes. The Tar Heels scored the last six third-quarter points, including a Donarski jumper with two seconds left, to take a 52–51 lead into the final quarter.
Virginia Tech took its biggest lead at four by opening the fourth quarter with a 7–2 run. Townsend cut it to one with a layup and a free throw with 5:47 left.
Kelly’s 3-pointer, UNC’s first field goal in 2½ minutes, tied it, and Townsend gave the Heels a brief two-point lead on a transition layup with 3:19 left. After a Baker jumper tied it for the Hokies on one end, Kelly got called with charging on a questionable call on the other.
Kelly drew a blocking foul with 1:17 left but had to come out for brief attention from the athletic trainer because she twisted an ankle. Lanie Grant split a pair of free throws to give UNC a one-point lead. Nivar created a held ball on Tech’s next possession, which gave UNC the ball on the alternating possessions.
After a timeout, Donarski quickly drove for her game-winning bucket.
Baker led the Hokies with 17 points.
NOTES — UNC hosts No. 10 N.C. State at 2 p.m. Sunday (ESPN) in the only regular-season meeting. The Wolfpack (20–4, 12–1) slipped by Miami 76–74 at home Thursday night. … Banghart said that Ciera Toomey hurt her nose and may have broken it. … UNC rebounded 32% of its misses and won the rebounding battle 34–28. … Carolina’s players wore special T-shirts — which assistant coaches and staff wore throughout the evening — during warmups for the Black History Month game. … UNC wore throwback uniforms from the 1994 national championship season. … The 24 first-quarter points were more than Carolina scored at Clemson in the first half (22). … UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi was at the game. … Guard Tray Crisp missed her ninth consecutive game but was in uniform. … Carolina leads the series with Tech 22–16, including 12–6 in Chapel Hill. … It was UNC’s first win over Virginia Tech since a 71–45 victory on Jan. 9, 2022.
No. 12 UNC 67, Va. Tech 62
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Notre Dame | 13–0 | 22–2 | 4 |
| No. 10 N.C. State | 12–1 | 20–4 | 19 |
| No. 13 Duke | 11–2 | 20–5 | 8 |
| Louisville | 11–3 | 18–7 | 41 |
| No. 13 North Carolina | 10–3 | 22–4 | 14 |
| No. 23 Florida State | 9–4 | 19–6 | 27 |
| No. 19 Georgia Tech | 8–5 | 20–5 | 26 |
| California | 8–5 | 20–6 | 39 |
| Virginia Tech | 7–7 | 16–9 | 45 |
| Clemson | 5–9 | 12–13 | 64 |
| Virginia | 4–9 | 12–13 | 86 |
| Stanford | 4–9 | 12–12 | 48 |
| Syracuse | 4–9 | 10–14 | 93 |
| Boston College | 4–10 | 13–14 | 71 |
| Miami | 3–10 | 13–11 | 78 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–10 | 11–15 | 138 |
| SMU | 2–11 | 10–15 | 106 |
| Wake Forest | 1–12 | 8–16 | 102 |
Thursday’s results
No. 12 North Carolina 67, Virginia Tech 62
Louisville 83, No. 23 Florida State 69
Clemson 68, No. 19 Georgia Tech 61
No. 2 Notre Dame 88, Pittsburgh 57
Stanford 79, Syracuse 58
California 72, Boston College 63
Sunday’s games
Wake Forest at No. 19 Georgia Tech, noon, ACCN
No. 10 N.C. State at No. 12 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN
No. 23 Florida State at Miami, 2 p.m., The CW
Virginia at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., ACCN
Clemson at SMU, 4 p.m., ACCN
Boston College at Stanford, 5 p.m. ACCN Extra
Syracuse at California, 6 p.m., ACCN
Monday’s game
No. 13 Duke at No. 2 Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ESPN
Thursday’s games
No. 12 North Carolina at Syracuse, 6 p.m., ACCN
SMU at Wake Forest, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Pittsburgh at No. 23 Florida State, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Louisville at No. 13 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN2
California at Virginia, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 2 Notre Dame at Miami, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 10 N.C. State at No. 19 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stanford at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., ACCN
| 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. 7 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. 8 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. 19 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. 2 Notre Dame | 13–3, 1–2 |
| 9 | Thursday | W, 53–46, OT | vs. No. 13 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. 23 Florida State | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 30 | Thursday | W, 65–52 | at California | 19–4, 7–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Sunday | W, 69–67 | at Stanford | 20–4, 8–3 |
| 9 | Sunday | W, 53–51 | at Clemson | 21–4, 9–3 |
| 13 | Thursday | W, 67–62 | vs. Virginia Tech | 22–4, 10–3 |
| 16 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. No. 10 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. 13 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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