By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Without No. 12 North Carolina’s star veteran, the Tar Heels showed plenty of heart in beating their rival with improvised lineups.
Two clutch Grace Townsend free throws with 5.2 seconds left and a huge defensive stop at the end lifted the Tar Heels to a 66–65 upset of No. 10 N.C. State before a packed Carmichael Arena on Sunday, doing it without Alyssa Ustby for the last 37½ minutes.
“It was just who could make one more play, and we did,” said UNC coach Courtney Banghart, whose team overcame a six-point deficit with 1:50 left in the game. “We’re certainly thrilled to have come away with the victory today.”
Reniya Kelly scored career-highs of 23 points and five 3-pointers (as a team, State only scored four) as the Tar Heels (23–4, 11–3 ACC) earned one of their biggest wins of the season and snapped a nine-game win streak for the Pack (20–5, 12–2), which was held to four second-quarter points. Under Banghart, the 23 wins matched the best regular-season total (with four games left), and it was the 10th win over a top-10 team.
“Obviously, it’s a rivalry,” Kelly said. “I think we hate State. I had to come out and play my best and my hardest.”
Ustby left the game with an apparent left knee issue 2½ minutes into the game and, according to a source, is expected to have an MRI on Monday. Banghart still hadn’t seen Ustby, who never returned to the court, at the time of the postgame press conference and had no information on her situation.
In a video of the team’s postgame dressing room celebration that appeared on the UNC women’s basketball X (formerly Twitter) account, Ustby did not have a wrap on either knee. She played with a sleeve over her left leg.
“One of the things that was hard about losing Alyssa — I didn’t know what happened,” said Banghart, who didn’t know until halftime that she wouldn’t return. “She’s your heart and soul in a lot of ways. But then you look around at who you have, and that’s why you build a team, and it’s why I did say at one point, ‘Alyssa wants nothing more than you to win this game, whether she’s playing or not.’ And they found a way.”
The win came after some high-level coaching in the final minute by Banghart, who played many lineup combinations for the first time all season.
Down by one with 11.7 seconds left trailing by one and needing to go the length of the court after a timeout, Banghart had Kelly run down on one side as a decoy and Townsend go down the other, with the plan for Townsend, a quick, crafty graduate guard, to create something.
“I wanted to put it in her hands and get herself to the rim,” Banghart said, “and the ref’s right near me, so if I felt like I didn’t like the look, I had a time out. I told her to just attack.’ You play; I will call [a time out] if I need it.’ ”
Townsend put a crossover move on Zoe Brooks to get to her left, and all Brooks could do was hold her arms up and commit the foul.
“I stopped for one second, and I heard Banghart say go and went again,” Townsend said. “I knew it wasn’t a smart decision to pass it.”
Townsend, who was shooting a career-low 63.2% at the line coming into the game, calmly sank both shots.
“Out of all the free throws I’ve taken, those were the ones that I was most calm, surprisingly,” Townsend said. “I was trusting just thinking about two dribbles, and I shoot my shot every time.”
N.C. State still had another chance, with the ball out of bounds near midcourt with 5.9 seconds left, which started a bit of a chess match.
Banghart had her team come out in a zone, leading N.C. State Coach Wes Moore to call a timeout. UNC then came out in a man-to-man but switched back to a zone as soon as the referee handed the ball to the inbound passer.
“We were looking for Aziaha to come off the pick on the ball there, and we knew they switched to a zone,” Moore said. “So we tried to have a play that would work against man or zone, whichever they came out in. We had Saniya [Rivers] on the opposite block, but Aziaha slipped or whatever, and couldn’t quite get it over to her, and time ran out.”
State senior guard Aziaha James had beaten UNC with a left-handed layup in the Pack’s 63–59 win in Raleigh last season.
“I don’t know what I was going to give up, but I wasn’t giving that up,” Banghart said. “She’s too good a player; it’s hard to stay in front. So, we wanted to have just bodies already stationary.”
James, who scored all of her team-high 16 points in the second half, got the ball but didn’t get off a shot. Kelly forced James to go baseline, and when she tried to drive, Maria Gakdeng cut her off, and James turned it over on the baseline as time expired. James laid along the baseline for a few seconds in frustration.
Everything seemingly added up to a UNC loss: Missing Ustby, Indya Nivar (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) fouling out and Lexi Donarski (10 points, 2 3-pointers) spraining her ankle.
But Carolina wasn’t buying that calculus.
“How resilient they are is not something you drop on the board,” Banghart said. “A lot going against them; they just kept going.”
Without Ustby, UNC’s leading rebounder, the Pack owned the boards 55–35 (a season-high rebounding total for State) and two six-point leads late but was only 5 of 13 from the free-throw line, its second-worst shooting this season, and committed 13 turnovers.
Kelly realized the challenge as State kept piling up the rebounds, pulling down 18 on the offensive end.
” ‘No, wait, why are we not rebounding the ball? Because Alyssa is not here,’ ” Kelly remembers thinking. “It was just a realization that she’s a big part of why we win games. She gets so many rebounds, she plays so hard, and we missed her dearly.”
State put up big numbers in an 89–83 win Feb. 3 over No. 13 Duke, one of the best defensive teams in the country. But while State scored 36 fast-break points against the Blue Devils, it only had six against the Tar Heels.
“I made it really simple. We have to take away their transition and make them play against our quarter court,” Banghart said, adding that she stressed that to the team repeatedly. “That was basically the key to the game. I trust our set defense. I trust our coverages. We were willing to switch around. We were willing to trap at times.”
James, the Pack’s leading scorer at 17.8 points per game, didn’t score her first points until a 3-pointer in the first minute of the second half after picking up two first-half fouls.
Kelly scored UNC’s first eight points on her way to her sixth consecutive double-figure scoring game, including two 3-pointers, before Gakdeng’s layup with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
“I’m just going to say, if your hands are down my face, I’m going to shoot the ball,” Kelly said. “And I think Zoe Brooks was guarding me; her hands were down. I just shot the ball. I was just taking what she was giving me.”
State defended her differently in the second half, putting Rivers (14 points, 12 rebounds) on her.
A State steal and a Madison Hayes 3-pointer highlighted a 17–7 quarter-ending run that gave the Pack a 19–12 lead after one quarter.
Nivar had two three-point plays and Gakdeng (10 points, 8 rebounds) had one as UNC outscored N.C. State 16–4 in the second quarter, holding the Pack to a season-low total for a quarter.
“I think this is Carolina’s best defensive team they’ve had in quite a while,” Moore said. “And we really struggled in the second quarter, obviously.”
The Tar Heels scored the last 13 points of the first half to take a 30–23 halftime lead after Kelly’s 3-pointer with 24 seconds left as the Wolfpack was scoreless for the last 6:05 of the first half.
The lead hit 10 on a Lanie Grant 3-pointer in the first nine seconds of the second half for 15 consecutive UNC points. James’ 11th point of the quarter ended a 6–0 State run to cut the lead to three, but Townsend responded with a driving layup. State cut its deficit to three, 48–45, on a Tilda Trygger bucket at the buzzer to end the third quarter.
A Rivers bucket started a 10–0 State run, and State took a 60–54 lead on two Brooks layups, the second with 2:43 left. A transition Donaski 3-pointer ended a four-minute UNC scoring drought, and, after the teams traded 3s, the second from Kelly, State led by three with 1:39 left.
After a James layup, Grant (9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) cut the lead to three, first with a pair of free throws, and then a driving shot with 39 seconds left. Rivers missed a short jumper with 11.7 seconds left.
Townsend then made her drive, which netted the game-winning free throws.
“You’ve got a six-point lead twice, can put the game away with a couple of stops,” Moore said. “And instead, we gave up threes to great shooters.”
NOTES — Carolina plays its next three games on the road, starting with a 6 p.m. Thursday visit to Syracuse (ACC Network). The Orange (12–12, 4–9) played at California on Sunday night. … It was UNC’s first one-point win since a 66–65 victory in 2022 over No. 3 Louisville. … The win moved UNC to 4–2 in Quad 1 games but didn’t improve its NET ranking, which stayed at 14th. … In the NCAA tournament’s early bracket release on Sunday, UNC is a No. 3 seed and the overall No. 12 seed. Notre Dame is the No. 4 overall seed, with N.C. State No. 9 and Duke No. 11. If all of that stood, Carolina, Duke and N.C. State would all be first- and second-round hosts on the same weekend that first- and second-round men’s games are at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center. … The four second-quarter points for State were a season-low, fewer than the six State scored in the second quarter against James Madison on Dec. 19. The program record is one against Louisville on Dec. 31, 2017. … Redshirt freshman Ciara Toomey wore a protective mask over her nose, which she broke in the first half of Thursday’s victory over Virginia Tech. … Redshirt freshman Laila Hull played for the first time since the Wake Forest game on Jan. 23, five games ago. … Graduate guard Tray Crisp played for the first time since the Duke game after suffering a lower-body injury, a stretch of nine games. … UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi attended his second consecutive game. … For the Play4Kay game, UNC’s players wore pink warmup T-shirts and white uniforms with pink trim. … The Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks had scouts at the game. … There were a lot of N.C. State fans at the game, many shouting “Wolfpack!” after the national anthem. … It was the fifth consecutive win by the home team in the series. … N.C. State leads the series 65–57, but UNC has a 31–22 edge at Carmichael. … It was a sellout crowd of 6,319.
No. 12 UNC 66, No. 10 NCSU 65
| 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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