By R.L. Bynum
On a night when the shots just were rarely falling for North Carolina, the Tar Heels’ rebounding and defense proved to be the difference.
The Tar Heels scored 15 second-chance points and outrebounded Georgia Tech by 21, finding just enough offense to pull out a 54–46 victory on Thursday at the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
Although Coach Courtney Banghart liked the shots her team got, UNC (16–5, 5–3 ACC) shot a season-low 28.8%.
“You look at the stat sheet, you wonder how we won,” Banghart said. “We really couldn’t make a shot tonight, and found a way to win. Won in a way that we maybe weren’t planning to win, but certainly glad that we found other ways to win in an ACC road environment.”
Carolina’s third straight win in that arena came despite going without a field goal for the last four minutes. But the Tar Heels, who still have the worst free-throw shooting percentage in the league (65.8%), made 7 of 8 free throws during that span to put away the victory.
Lanie Grant and Reniya Kelly each led UNC with 11 points, with Grant making four free throws in the last 1:11 and Kelly hitting three in the last 46 seconds. Elina Aarnisalo scored eight of her 10 points in the first half and dished out a team-high four assists.
Banghart kept the message steady at halftime when it was tied at 24, and leaned on the board work.
“I thought we got great shots,” she said. “You let the math, math typically, and it works out. And it just didn’t tonight.”
Leading the board domination was Ciera Toomey, who pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds as the Tar Heels outrebounded the Jackets 55–34, including 25–10 on the offensive boards.
Toomey, who scored nine points and blocked three shots, said the emphasis was clear when her team and the opponent (Georgia Tech shot 31.6%) were having tough shooting games.
“There’s a lot more rebounds to grab,” Toomey said. “We’ve been working on that a lot following the couple of games where rebounding killed us, so to see that be the reason and a big factor of why we won tonight just makes us feel good.”
Banghart noted how far the sophomore has come. It was only the third double-digit rebounding game of her career, with her previous high being 12 against Elon earlier this season.
“Ciera couldn’t rebound anything last year, so she continues to mature into what we wanted her to be over time,” Banghart said. “We needed all 15 tonight.”
Toomey said that rebounding is about mentality, and sometimes it’s luck.
“I just went into the game knowing that that was a big part of my game I’ve been working on in the past couple of weeks,” Toomey said. “I kind of knew that we were going to need those second-chance opportunities.”
Carolina’s defense was excellent again, holding Georgia Tech (8–12, 3–5) scoreless for more than 6½ minutes in each half and limiting the Jackets to six third-quarter points. Banghart credited the group for staying true to the plan and holding Talayah Walker, second in the ACC in scoring in league games, to 14 points.
“Walker is hard to guard downhill,” she said. “The fact that she only [went] to the free throw line four times? We held her to less points than shots. Having our defensive mentality today, they really did stay true to the scout. I wish it wasn’t so painful. They had to grit that one out, given they didn’t have the comforts of made baskets.”
For a team that entered the night leading the ACC in opponent field-goal percentage, Banghart said the standards aren’t changing, and the players know why the formula works.
“This group wants it so bad,” she said. “They’re accountable. They really locked into the scout. It’s something that we take very seriously.”
Carolina made only 2 of its first 17 shots before making three consecutive shots during an 8–4 run to end the first quarter, with two Aarnisalo jumpers tying the game at 12.
Sparked initially by a small lineup, UNC went on a 10–0 run, taking a 22–14 lead on a Toomey layup at 6:01 of the second quarter as the Jackets went without a field goal for 6½ minutes.
During that run, two Indya Nivar misses at the free-throw line ended UNC’s streak of 21 consecutive free-throw conversions. The Tar Heels made all 19 attempts in the previous two games.
Georgia Tech countered with a 10–2 run to tie it on a La’Nya Foster jumper with 38 seconds left at 24, and that’s where it stood at halftime.
After the Jackets went up by two, they again went scoreless for more than 6½ minutes. Two Kelly 3-pointers spearheaded a 9–0 run to take an eight-point lead at 3:37 of the third quarter on a Taliyah Henderson free throw. A Blanca Thomas bucket gave the Tar Heels a 37–30 lead after three quarters.
Grant scored UNC’s first five points of the final quarter, with her 3-pointer giving the Tar Heels a 42–33 lead with 6:19 left. After the Jackets pulled within six, a Toomey 3-pointer and an Aarnisalo jumper gave UNC an 11-point lead with 4:13 left before the Heels put the game away at the free-throw line.
Georgia Tech’s 6–1 Brianna Turnage finished with nine blocks, the most shots a UNC team has had rejected in a single game, a statistic that irritated Banghart.
“Our post players, quite honestly, weren’t tough enough,” Banghart said. “They didn’t use their ward-off hand, they didn’t use their power dribble, they didn’t go to counters, they didn’t have any sauce to their game. So, they were very linear. They have to own that, that they let someone else on the other team, smaller than them, by the way, block nine times. I don’t know what else to say. “
Notes
— Carolina returns home at 2 p.m. Sunday (The CW) to face Syracuse (16–3, 6–2). The Orange, which didn’t have a midweek game, has won three straight games after beating Stanford at home on Sunday, 69–58.
— The Tar Heels’ previous worst shooting game this season was 34.5% in their 73–50 loss at Notre Damd on Jan. 11. It was UNC’s worst shooting game since 27.9% in its 66–55 ACC tournament loss last season to N.C. State.
— Carolina won when shooting less than 30% for the first time since beating N.C. State on Jan. 15, 2023, despite shooting 29.7%.
— UNC scored its fewest points in a win since a 53–51 victory at Clemson on Feb. 9 last season.
— Carolina has started 3–1 on the road in the ACC for the second consecutive season.
— Nyla Harris eclipsed 1,000 career points on a third-quarter layup. She finished with six points, pushing her career total to 1,003.
— Laila Hull missed her third consecutive game.
— UNC leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech 63–23, and has won eight of the last 11 meetings.
UNC 54, Georgia Tech 46
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Louisville | 8–0 | 18–3 | 8 |
| No. 21 Duke | 8–0 | 13–6 | 17 |
| Syracuse | 6–2 | 16–3 | 40 |
| N.C. State | 6–2 | 13–6 | 26 |
| Virginia | 6–2 | 14–5 | 38 |
| North Carolina | 5–3 | 16–5 | 20 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–3 | 15–5 | 47 |
| Notre Dame | 5–3 | 13–6 | 27 |
| Stanford | 4–3 | 15–5 | 36 |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 13–7 | 41 |
| Miami | 3–5 | 11–8 | 46 |
| Georgia Tech | 3–5 | 8–12 | 94 |
| California | 2–5 | 11–9 | 59 |
| Wake Forest | 2–6 | 12–8 | 117 |
| Florida State | 2–6 | 7–13 | 102 |
| SMU | 1–7 | 8–12 | 180 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–7 | 8–13 | 255 |
| Boston College | 0–8 | 4–17 | 257 |
* — Through Thursday games
Thursday’s results
North Carolina 54, Georgia Tech 46
Notre Dame 74, Miami 66
Virginia Tech 71, Clemson 68
Virginia 84, Pittsburgh 46
Florida State 73, SMU 51
Saturday’s games
Boston College at No. 8 Louisville, 11 a.m., ACCN Extra
No. 21 Duke at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m., ACCN Extra
Sunday’s games
N.C. State at Virginia, noon, ACC Network
Virginia Tech at Wake Forest, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Syracuse at North Carolina, 2 p.m., The CW
Clemson at Notre Dame, 3 p.m., ACCN Extra
Miami at SMU, 4 p.m., ACCN Extra
Georgia Tech at Florida State, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at California, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Thursday’s games
Virginia at Wake Forest, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Georgia Tech at Syracuse, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
N.C. State at Boston College, 6 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Clemson, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
No. 8 Louisville at Stanford, 8 p.m., ESPN
No. 21 Duke at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
| Date | Day/month | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 2 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. 3 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. 8 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 | 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 No. 21 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. 21 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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