By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — As Carolina’s relentless defense repeatedly caused havoc, the only question was whether UNCG’s field goal total would match its turnover total.
It didn’t.
And with the No. 14 Tar Heels’ size and length — even without Nyla Harris — towering over UNCG and the 3-pointers pouring in again, it was a predictably one-sided Carolina win.
In UNC’s final tune-up before heading to Cancun, Mexico, for three games, the Tar Heels rolled to a 94–48 victory Sunday at Carmichael Arena with the program’s best shooting game in 40 years (66.1%).
UNCG (2–4), the reigning Southern Conference champions, had 15 field goals and 23 turnovers as the Heels scored a season-high 40 points off turnovers.
“We really locked down defensively in the areas that we felt like we needed to,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said. “We wanted to be better at guarding the ball. We wanted to be better in ball screens. We wanted to be better in transition. I felt like we made a step in all three of those areas.”
Any opponent that has to face Carolina (5–1) isn’t going to like watching video of the Tar Heels playing defense or hearing Banghart’s mantra for her team.
“They’ve really leaned into [that] we’re going to have to be menaces and dictate on the defensive end, because we’re good enough and deep enough to do that,” Banghart said.
UNC’s offense matched that intensity.
After shooting only 27.8% (29 of 104) from 3-point range in its first four games, UNC has made 50% of its shots (22 of 44) outside the arc in the last seven quarters, including 60% (12 of 20) on Sunday, the program’s best in four years and only third game shooting at least 60% from outside the arc since 2012–13.
“There’s a rhythm to it,” Banghart said of the perimeter production. “There’s a game confidence to it. We’re starting to really find that, which is good.”
Redshirt sophomore center Ciera Toomey continued to raise her level of play significantly from last season, even though she’s adjusting to playing center.
She was at least three inches taller than any UNCG defender and took full advantage with a career-high 19 points and a game-high seven rebounds, becoming the fifth Tar Heel to lead the team in scoring this season. Toomey was a big reason UNC had a 48–12 edge on inside points.
“I’m actually posting up this year, making moves inside and making an effort to score in the low block,” said the 6–4 Toomey, who was a guard growing up. “Looking at the scout, I saw the heights and I was like, ‘OK, I’m gonna be much bigger and just trust the work I’ve been putting in.’ ”
The improvement didn’t come without a lot of hard work in the weight room during the offseason. She worked out with passion and purpose while away from Chapel Hill in May and followed a different routine since she was preparing to play more at center.
“The amount of work that Ciera has put in to make herself a post player, as well as a stretch four, is being celebrated, deservedly so,” Banghart said.
Freshman Nyla Brooks continued her recent roll with 18 points, three 3-pointers, two steals and two assists and made all seven shots. She’s been a big part of UNC being more proficient from 3-point range, and says it’s contagious when several players are sinking 3-pointers.
“Absolutely, I feel like when we make threes, it goes down the line,” she said after seven Tar Heels scored 3s against UNCG. “I’ve been really focusing on that, especially over the past summer, because I know coming in, Coach Banghart wanted me to get better with my 3-point shots.”
She’s gradually finding more of her rhythm game after game, and has scored in double figures in five of six games. She also has the advantage of being guarded frequently in practice by Indya Nivar, one of the best defenders in the country.
“I just let the game come to me and trust the work I’ve been putting in,” Brooks said.
Elina Aarsinalo (13 points, 4 rebounds; below photo), freshman Talyah Henderson (13 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds) and Nivar (10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) were part of a balanced effort with 10 Tar Heels scoring and 20 of 39 field goals were assisted.
“It’s a fun team to coach because nobody cares who,” Banghart said. “We just care how, and the result spoke for itself.”
UNC led 10–2 after the first 4:41 of the game, with an Aarnisalo transition layup capping an 8–0 run. The Tar Heels led 23–8 after one quarter, and the lead would have been more if not for Jeni Levine’s half-court buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end a five-minute UNCG field-goal drought.
UNCG played the Heels even for most of the second quarter before 3-pointers from Reniya Kelly and Laila Hull in the last two minutes gave UNC a 49–30 halftime lead.
Toomey scored UNC’s first 11 points of the second half, and a Henderson transition layup capped a 9–0 run to give the Heels a 33-point lead. With an Aarnisalo 3-pointer after UNCG had hit back-to-back 3s, UNC took a 70–40 lead into the final quarter.
“When I get the ball in there, just knowing that in a game like today, I have the advantage and I can basically score whenever I get it down there,” Toomey said.
A Liza Astakhova jumper capped a 15–2 UNC run to start the fourth quarter, expanding the lead to 42 points. It was 46 after a Henderson 3-pointer and layup.
Levine led UNCG with 21 points and three 3-pointers.
Notes
— The Tar Heels head to Mexico this week for three games in the Cancun Challenge, facing South Dakota State (5–0) at 11 a.m. Thursday, Kansas State (4–3) at 11 a.m. Friday and Columbia (2–2 entering Monday’s home game against Binghamton) at 1:30 Saturday. All three were NCAA tournament teams last season. Each game airs on FloCollege, a pay subscription service.
— Carolina just missed the school record for shooting percentage in a game of 66.2% set against Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 25, 1985, in a 102–54 victory under Coach Jennifer Alley. The best previous shooting game under Banghart was 69.7% on Dec. 16, 2022, in an 89–47 win over USC Upstate.
— The Tar Heels’ 60% shooting from 3-point range was the program’s best since shooting 66.7% (10 of 15) in a 93–47 win on Dec. 5, 2021, against James Madison. The previous game shooting at least 60% from outside the arc before that was 69.2% (9 of 13) in a 79–58 win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 13, 2013. Carolina shot 100% in a 65–63 win Jan. 2, 2012, over Miami, but only attempted four 3-pointers.
— UNC fell two short of the single-game program record of 14 3-pointers, which has been done 11 times, the last coming Dec. 21, 2024, in a 90–47 victory over Norfolk State.
— It was Carolina’s 31st consecutive home victory against non-ranked opponents, pushing the Tar Heels’ record under Banghart in those games to 37–2.
— The UNCG game was UNC’s only home game for 30 days, with the next home game on Dec. 14 against Louisville and the previous home game on Nov. 9 against Elon.
— With Nivar’s three assists, she has four games with at least three, giving her 21 for the season and 152 for her career.
— Harris, sophomore Blanca Thomas and freshman Taissa Queiroz were out of uniform. It was the first game Harris had missed. Thomas has played one game, and Queiroz has played two. Kelly spent pregame warmups on an exercise bike. Banghart said none of the issues are long-term, and she wants them ready for the three games in three days next week.
— With UNCG scoring only eight points in the first and fourth quarters, Carolina has held opponents to single-digit points in a quarter nine times in six games.
— UNC has scored at least 80 points in four of six games. The previous high this season was in the 90–42 opening-game win over N.C. Central.
No. 14 UNC 94, UNCG 48
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Louisville | 4–0 | 14–3 | 12 |
| Virginia | 4–0 | 12–3 | 37 |
| N.C. State | 4–0 | 11–4 | 25 |
| Duke | 4–0 | 9–6 | 19 |
| Syracuse | 3–1 | 13–2 | 41 |
| Stanford | 2–1 | 13–3 | 33 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 2–2 | 13–4 | 18 |
| Wake Forest | 2–2 | 12–4 | 118 |
| Notre Dame | 2–2 | 10–4 | 27 |
| Clemson | 2–2 | 11–5 | 40 |
| Miami | 2–2 | 10–5 | 45 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–2 | 7–9 | 95 |
| Virginia Tech | 1–3 | 11–5 | 55 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–3 | 8–9 | 243 |
| California | 0–3 | 9–7 | 60 |
| SMU | 0–4 | 7–9 | 142 |
| Florida State | 0–4 | 5–11 | 109 |
| Boston College | 0–4 | 4–13 | 248 |
* — Through Sunday games
Sunday’s games
Stanford 77, No. 22 North Carolina 71, OT
Duke 82, Notre Dame 68
Virginia 91, Florida State 87, 2 OTs
Syracuse 73, Wake Forest 58
Clemson 70, Miami 55
N.C. State 71, California 60
No. 10 Louisville 85, Virginia Tech 60
Georgia Tech 67, SMU 59
Pittsburgh 64, Boston College 621
Thursday’s games
No. 10 Louisville at Miami, 3 p.m., ACCN Extra
Boston College at No. 18 Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Duke at California, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
N.C. State at Clemson, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Sunday’s games
Boston College at Virginia Tech, noon, ACC Network
No. 22 North Carolina at Notre Dame, 1 p.m., ESPN
Pittsburgh at No. 10 Louisville, The CW
Syracuse at Virginia, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Florida State at Miami, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Clemson at Georgia Tech, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Duke at Sanford, 5 p.m., ESPN
SMU at N.C. State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
| 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. 10 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, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Thursday | W, 71–55 | vs. California | 13–3, 2–0 |
| 4 | Sunday | L, 77–71, OT | vs. Stanford | 13–4, 2–1 |
| 11 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at 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 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
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