By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Few wins came more easily than No. 400 for Coach Courtney Banghart.
With the 3-pointers raining in against SMU, one of the ACC’s worst teams, it was easy for her to become the 48th active coach to reach that mark.
Eight players contributed to No. 21 North Carolina’s 12 3-pointers as the Tar Heels got the rout going early and coasted to a 94–42 victory Thursday at Carmichael Arena, setting a program record for largest margin of victory in an ACC game.
“When you’re in it, you don’t really think it’s easy,” said Banghart, who got a commemorative ball after the game, along with a video highlighting her achievements. “You’re trying to make sure that we’re kind of possession by possession, maintaining our standard.”
With Carolina’s 57.6% shooting tying its season-best mark set in its 51-point win at Boston College, dominating points in the paint 52–18 and rebounding 50–20, there weren’t any tense coaching decisions to make.
“I’m getting old,” Banghart said. “I’ve been doing this a long time, especially for a kid that was sent to the Ivy League because coaching wasn’t a vocation. I think my dad’s probably down in Florida, chuckling that I’m still doing this. But I’m certainly glad to do it with this team. “This team obviously has a lot of special pieces that I’ve just really loved to coach and have a real bright future.”
The eight-game win streak is the longest in ACC play under Banghart, in her seventh season at UNC.
“We had a little bit more length and some great shot-making, and then there’s a lot of space, and you can see the effort that these pieces have put into getting better and better,” Banghart said. “There were some things that we can do better. But we obviously were pretty solid when I look at the stat sheet. So I’ll celebrate the fact that we got a good win on both sides of the ball today.”
After two blowouts against teams at the bottom of the top-heavy ACC, Carolina (21–5, 10–3) faces a huge challenge at 1 p.m. Sunday (ABC) when it visits league-leading No. 11 Duke (18–6, 13–0) in the first of two games against the Blue Devils in 14 days.
“They’re a March team? We’re a March team,” Banghart said. “To beat teams that are March teams, you have to be good on both sides of the ball.”
UNC has played four of the five ACC teams with triple-digit NET rankings after the win over SMU (NET of 192). The Heels have won all four with only the Feb. 22 home game against Pittsburgh (257) remaining.
Four of the last five will be a challenge. In addition to playing Duke twice, UNC has road games against Virginia (36) and Virginia Tech (44), all Quad 1 games.
“Whether you play them early or late, you’ve just got to win one at a time,” Banghart said.
Lanie Grant (15 points, 2 3-pointers), Indya Nivar (14, 2), Taliyah Henderson (13, 1) and Laila Hull (11, 3) led the way as eight Tar Heels scored 3-pointers. Nivar and Elina Aarnisalo each had five of Carolina’s 24 assists, the most in an ACC regular-season game in 18 years.
It was especially satisfying for Henderson because her entire family traveled from their home in Vail, Ariz., to attend their first home game after attending two games in Las Vegas and one at SMU earlier this season. They’ll also be at the Duke game on Sunday.
They saw Henderson tie her season-high point total and make all six shots, the sixth time this season that she hasn’t missed a shot.
Henderson credited her teammates for putting her in a position to thrive.
“Honestly, it was my team that helped me today,” she said. “They give you the ball and trust you to make those reads.”
Henderson, who also scored 13 against Louisville and UNCG, said the game reflected how far she has come this season.
“It was definitely an adjustment, just in general, from coming off an ACL injury,” she said of the high school injury Banghart witnessed in person. “High school level, it’s a lot slower and less physical, so that was definitely something that I struggled with coming in.”
Banghart has seen Henderson’s growth accelerate over the last two months, beyond just athleticism.
“She’s not making up for it with her athleticism,” Banghart said. “She’s in the right spot to begin with. Offensively, she’s playing with confidence.”
Depleted SMU (8–17, 1–12), which has lost six straight games, only had eight players in uniform, one fewer than the number of points it scored in each of the first three quarters. Among the players out were former UNC guard Paulina Paris, who suffered a left foot injury that ended her college career.
The Mustangs had more turnovers (19) than field goals (12).
UNC went on a 17–2 run with three 3-pointers (two from Grant) and four layups to take a 13-point lead after SMU scored the game’s first two points. The Tar Heels had six 3-pointers from five players and five layups in building a 28–9 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Henderson capped a 14–0 run with a 3-pointer to balloon the lead to 31 with 4:06 left in the first half. Hull’s third first-half 3-pointer gave UNC a 49–18 halftime lead.
A Nivar 3 and Nyla Harris layup put the lead at 37 five minutes into the second half. Despite going scoreless for nearly four minutes, UNC led 67–27 after three quarters.
A Henderson layup at the end of a 13–3 run shoved the lead to 48 with 6:02 left. Sydney Barker’s first 3-pointer of the season gave UNC the final 52-point margin with 14 seconds left.
Junior guard Reniya Kelly (lower-body injury; likely the right knee she injured last season) sat out her second consecutive game. Banghart said she hopes Kelly will play Sunday, but couldn’t say definitively if she would.
Guard Zahra King led SMU with 15 points but was a game-low -50.
Notes
— Duke hasn’t played since beating SMU 95–36 at home on Sunday to extend its win streak to 15, with its last loss coming 93–77 to No. 6 LSU on Dec. 4.
— The last time UNC at least that many assists in an ACC regular-season game was when it dished out 29 on Jan. 5, 2008, against Georgia Tech.
— It was Hull’s first double-figure game since scoring 14 points against Fairfield on Nov. 15.
— All but one of UNC’s players in uniform scored.
— Paris hopes to play professionally once she recovers from her injury.
— Carolina’s reserves wore Black History Month T-shirts, which the starters wore during pregame warmups, and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was sung before the national anthem.
—UNC is 2–0 against SMU after winning 64–33 in Dallas last season. The Mustangs are in their second season in the ACC and have only three league wins.
—Banghart is 2–0 against first-year SMU coach Adia Barnes, who was Arizona’s coach when UNC beat the Wildcats 63–46 in the second round of the 2022 NCAA tournament.
—The U.S. Basketball Writers Association named UNC as its Team of the Week after the Tar Heels went 3–0 last week with wins at N.C. State and Wake Forest, and at home against Clemson
—Class of 2026 UNC signee Kate Harpring is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year award. Harpring, a 5–10 point guard, recently eclipsed the 3,000 career points mark as a senior at Marist Academy in Atlanta.
No. 21 UNC 94, SMU 42
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Duke | 13–0 | 18–6 | 9 |
| No. 9 Louisville | 13–1 | 23–4 | 8 |
| No. 21 North Carolina | 10–3 | 21–5 | 19 |
| N.C. State | 10–3 | 17–7 | 23 |
| Syracuse | 10–4 | 20–5 | 38 |
| Virginia | 9–4 | 17–7 | 36 |
| Clemson | 9–5 | 18–8 | 39 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–5 | 18–7 | 44 |
| Notre Dame | 7–6 | 15–9 | 29 |
| California | 6–6 | 15–10 | 51 |
| Georgia Tech | 6–8 | 11–15 | 88 |
| Stanford | 5–7 | 16–9 | 42 |
| Miami | 4–9 | 12–12 | 57 |
| Florida State | 4–9 | 9–16 | 103 |
| Wake Forest | 3–11 | 13–13 | 128 |
| SMU | 1–12 | 8–17 | 192 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–12 | 8–18 | 257 |
| Boston College | 0–14 | 4–23 | 252 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Thursday’s games
No. 21 North Carolina 94, SMU 42
Syracuse 84, Pittsburgh 51
Florida State 85, Boston College 76
No. 9 Louisville 86, Wake Forest 67
Clemson 67, Georgia Tech 65, 2 OTs
Virginia at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Virginia Tech at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Sunday’s games
Pittsburgh at SMU, noon, ACC Network
Miami at Boston College, noon, ACCN Extra
No. 21 North Carolina at No. 11 Duke, 1 p.m., ABC
Virginia at Stanford, 2 p.m., The CW
Clemson at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
N.C. State at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., ESPN
Virginia Tech at California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Florida State at No. 6 Louisville, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Thursday, Feb. 19, games
No. 21 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Wake Forest, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
California at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
N.C. State at No. 11 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Boston College at SMU, 7:30, ACCN Extra
Stanford at Miami, 8 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. 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. 9 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 | W, 61–59 | at N.C. State | 18–5, 7–3 |
| 5 | Thursday | W, 53–44 | vs. Clemson | 19–5, 8–3 |
| 8 | Sunday | W, 84–56 | vs. Wake Forest | 20–5, 9–3 |
| 12 | Thursday | W, 94–42 | vs. SMU | 21–5, 10–3 |
| 15 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | at No. 11 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. 11 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
tarheeltribune.com 