By R.L. Bynum
No. 11 North Carolina recovered from a tough start and surged to a big victory, thanks to a huge effort off the bench from sophomore Laila Hull.
Hull tied her career-high with 14 points as UNC came back from a nine-point first-quarter deficit and used a 13–0 third-quarter run on its way to an 82–68 victory Saturday at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas in the WBCA Challenge.
UNC coach Courtney Banghart said that her team was initially reactive in the third quarter before its decisive run.
“Outside of that, I thought we were excellent,” Banghart said. “We were great in duos. We were solid on the ball. We took away their transition.”
She added that for a team she had been “all over about not being good enough defensively, they’re starting to prove me wrong here.”
UNC, which forced 25 turnovers and had a staggering 24–5 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Tar Heels (3–1) got 12 points each from Nyla Brooks, Ciera Toomey and Nyla Harris, while Indya Nivar added 10.
Free throws had been an issue for UNC in the first three games, but the Heels were 18 of 24 from the line while shooting 41.8% from the floor.
Defense was big again for UNC, which forced 25 turnovers and had a staggering 24–5 advantage in points off turnovers. Banghart said, “Outside of that, I thought we were, you know, we were excellent. We were great in duos. We were solid on the ball. We took away their transition.”
It was the first loss of the season for Fairfield (3–1), which was led by Janelle Brown’s 16 points.
North Carolina fell behind 19–11 after the first quarter, when the Tar Heels were 4 of 19 from the floor and 1 of 9 from 3-point range.
Banghart said the opening period was “wild,” noting, “Indya walked on the court and got three fouls quickly. So, a little bit disoriented there. I really like our guys’ response.”
UNC surged in the second quarter to take a 37–25 halftime lead, shooting 61.5% from the floor, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, while turning 10 Fairfield turnovers into 14 of its 26 points in the period. Seven Tar Heels scored in the quarter, led by five from Brooks.
The Stags rallied within three points with 4:35 left in the third quarter on a Kaety L’Amoureaux 3-pointer.
Hull responded with a 3-pointer for the first of 13 consecutive UNC points to shove the lead back to 16, and the Heels took a 59–45 lead into the final quarter.
“She’s ready,” Banghart said of Hull, who scored four 3-pointers, after not playing in Thursday’s loss to UCLA. “I trust her, and instead of getting in her feelings that she didn’t get an opportunity against UCLA, she just stayed ready.”
The lead peaked at 25 with 3:50 left on a Brooks jumper
Banghart went with a four-guard lineup, starting Lanie Grant instead of Harris.
“They went really small, too,” Banghart said. “And so it allowed us to get out and chase around those screens that really the bigs haven’t defended.”
Neither Blanca Thomas nor Taissa Queiroz played in the game.
Carolina plays on the road against N.C. A&T at 7 p.m. Thursday (FloCollege). The Aggies (1–3) host Winston-Salem State at 2 p.m. Sunday.
No. 11 UNC 82, Fairfield 68
| 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. 4 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. 2 Texas | 8–2 |
| ——————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 82–40 | vs. Boston Univ. | 9–2 |
| 14 | Sunday | L, 76–66, OT | vs. No. 13 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 | 8 p.m. | at Boston College | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | Noon | vs. California | ACCN |
| 4 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Stanford | ESPN |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 18 Notre Dame | ESPN |
| 15 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. Miami | ACCN Extra |
| 18 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Florida State | The CW |
| 22 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 25 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | The CW |
| 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 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. 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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