By R.L. Bynum
BLACKSBURG, Va. — On “Stranger Things” night at Cassell Coliseum, it was as if North Carolina’s offense got yanked into “The Upside Down” during the first half.
With more energy, better ball movement and hot shooting, the No. 22 Tar Heels fought their way back.
After a seven-point halftime deficit and UNC’s worst shooting half of the season, the Tar Heels battled for a thrilling 66–63 overtime victory Thursday over Virginia Tech and a huge Quad 1 win.
Carolina (22–6, 11–4) had two extended first-half scoreless stretches, but it was a different team after halftime.
UNC coach Courtney Banghart delivered a simple but forceful halftime message.
“Attack more, play harder and compete,” Banghart said. “It was that simple. It was probably a little bit more impassioned than I’m used to, because I don’t think it was tactical. It was just that we had to play harder, we had to compete, and we had to attack more.”
Carolina struggled to finish against a Hokies team known for its solid defense.
“We were attacking, and then when they guarded it, we just kind of stood,” Banghart said. “It’s like we were surprised they were guarding us well. And so we just talked about the second and third layers of attack. I challenged them to compete and to play harder.”
When it looked bleak at halftime, senior guard Indya Nivar spoke up in the dressing room, echoing the urgency Banghart had demanded.
“I think we all collective [spoke up], but Indy did for sure,” said Harris, who led the way with 15 points, and nine rebounds. “She was just saying, ‘The first half wasn’t good. We’ve got to be better if we want to win this game. They’re not going to just lay down. They’re not going to just let us come here and win.’ And I think we just really reacted well to that.”
Down seven and having played one of their worst halves of the season, Grant wasn’t discouraged.
“We knew we hadn’t played our best half so tha,” Grant told ACC Network after the game. “Even though we didn’t play well, there was hope going into it [the second half]. We knew that we had to respond, but we just kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s do it. This was a must win game for us,’ so I’m just happy that we pulled it out.”
The Tar Heels held Virginia Tech without a field goal for the final 3:57 and went 16 of 19 from the free-throw line after never getting there Sunday at Duke. But it was the determination of Harris inside, coupled with her ability to knock down all six free-throw attempts, including two huge ones with 1:27 left, that got the attention of Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy.
“Nyla Harris is, I say this respectfully, she’s a monster,” Duffy said. “She’s physical, she’s talented. She’s just relentless.”
Elina Aarnisalo (13 points, 2 3-pointers), Virginian Lanie Grant (12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and Nivar (10 points) all had solid games.
After shooting a season-low percentage in the first half, UNC shot 57.1% in the third quarter and showed the Hokies that it wasn’t going to be as easy as they thought.
Brooks said the shift was mental as much as tactical.
“I think the difference between the first half and the second half for us was just digging deep,” Brooks said. “I think in the first half, we kind of expected things. We were just kind of going through the motions. But in the second half, it was like, this is it. There’s no second opportunity after this to get better, to do what we need to do.”
Virginia Tech face-guarded Grant, limiting her early scoring but allowing her to become a creator.
“They made my life very difficult in all four quarters,” Grant said. “I had to work for every single shot attempt that I had, but my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball in the right spot. They were attacking really hard, so it actually opened up lanes for myself.”
Banghart praised the poise of the sophomore, who sank two huge free throws with 25.5 seconds left.
“She’s just an incredible competitor,” Banghart said. “She doesn’t just compete, she thinks the game. She trusts her teammates.”
UNC had three turnovers before Harris drilled a 3-pointer 2:07 into the game — just the second of her career — to spark an 11–2 run. Ciera Toomey followed with a 3-pointer, and Aarnisalo added two free throws. During that run, Harris made two free throws in UNC’s first trip to the line in nearly 45½ minutes, its first since the SMU game a week earlier.
The Hokies responded with a 13–3 run to close the first quarter, with Mackenzie Nelson’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer giving them an 18–14 lead.
A driving Aarnisalo layup ended a nearly eight-minute UNC scoring drought and cut the Hokies’ lead to four with 6:01 left in the first half. It was the Tar Heels’ last field goal before the first half, and they went scoreless for the final 4½ minutes. Two Grant free throws with 0.6 of a second left trimmed Virginia Tech’s halftime lead to 28–21.
Duffy liked the tone her team set early in taking control in the first half.
“I think we came out with a tenacity about ourselves on the defensive end,” said Duffy, who added that she was intent on not letting Grant attempt a 3-pointer. “We wanted to make it as difficult as possible for their post to get easy baskets. They can make some really tough baskets. So eliminate some of the easy ones.”
Aarnisalo’s corner 3-pointer opened the second half and started a 9–2 run. Brooks’ short bank shot cut the deficit to 35–34 with 3:54 left in the third quarter. After a 9–3 Hokies surge pushed the margin back to seven, a Nivar layup and a buzzer-beating Toomey 3-pointer sliced the lead to 44–42 heading to the fourth.
Brooks finished with timely plays on both ends and said her focus extended beyond scoring.
“Virginia Tech did do a good job of doubling me in the first half, so getting my teammates open, finding ways for us to get good shots and then rebounding and just keep going, keep attacking,” Brooks said. “That’s really what was it for me.”
A Brooks 3-pointer and a Grant three-point play gave UNC a 54–52 lead with 3:53 left, but Virginia Tech answered on a Samyha Suffren three-point play.
Grant’s 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining put UNC up two. After Suffren tied it with 26 seconds left, Grant’s 35-foot attempt at the regulation buzzer rimmed out.
The teams traded leads for most of overtime, the fifth time when Nyla Harris made two free throws with 1:27 left to give UNC a 64–63 lead. Grant pushed the lead to three with her huge free throws.
The Hokies’ Carys Baker missed a corner 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer that would have tied it.
Banghart credited her defense for closing it out.
“We went to our switch package,” Banghart said. “Thank God I have a big [Harris who] can switch, and she did it really well.”
Free throws were a huge weakness earlier this season and cost the Tar Heels in overtime losses to Louisville and Stanford. But the Heels were 16 of 19 from the line against the Hokies, including clutch makes. The Tar Heels have shot at least 83% from the free-throw line in four of the last six games in which they attempted a free throw.
Virginia Tech, which got 15 points apiece from Baker and Suffren and 14 from Carleigh Wenzel, had chances late but couldn’t convert.
“I really believe we had our opportunities,” Duffy said. “Just didn’t have enough execution down the stretch.”
The Hokies missed their final eight shots from the floor. Duffy pointed to small details.
“I thought we needed to finish a little bit better,” she said. “I just thought we had a couple, maybe four or five layups that needed to go in. Unfortunately, they didn’t.”
For UNC, the resilience after Sunday’s loss at Duke and a cold-shooting first half underscored growth. “We’re just better than we were in December,” Banghart said. “The most dangerous teams keep getting better, getting better. And we’re just better than we were.”
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Notes
— UNC returns home for a noon Sunday (ACC Network) game against Pittsburgh (8–20, 1–14), which has the worst NET ranking in the ACC at 256. The Panthers lost 84–68 to Georgia Tech in a Thursday home game.
— Two of Carolina’s last three games are Quad 1.
— Thursday’s game was Matt Krause’s 250th as the radio voice of Carolina women’s basketball.
— UNC had more turnovers (10) than field goals (5) in the first half, when it had its worst shooting half of the season (21.7%) and a season-low first-half point total. The Tar Heels scored one field goal in the last 14:51 of the first half. The Tar Heel shot 57.1% in the third quarter. In the second half, UNC had five turnovers and 14 field goals, shooting 48.3%
— Junior guard Reniya Kelly (lower-body concern), who last played on Feb. 5 against Clemson, missed her fourth consecutive game.
— Grant entered the game leading the ACC in all games in 3-point percentage at 42.7% (50 of 117), and shooting 44.8% outside the arc in league games, but was 1 of 6 on Thursday.
—The “Stranger Things” theme meant an Eggo waffle-eating contest before the game.
—Carolina leads the all-time series with the Hokies 23–16, including 9–8 at Cassell Coliseum.
—UNC is 2–2 in overtime, and Virginia Tech is 0–2, with the Heels ending a three-game losing streak in road overtime games.
No. 22 UNC 66, VT 63, OT
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Duke | 16–2 | 21–8 | 10 | 13 |
| No. 12 Louisville | 15–3 | 25–6 | 13 | 10 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 14–4 | 25–6 | 19 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 13–5 | 20–9 | 23 | 27 |
| Syracuse | 12–6 | 22–7 | 40 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 12–6 | 22–8 | 41 | 34 |
| Notre Dame | 12–6 | 20–9 | 24 | 23 |
| Clemson | 11–7 | 20–10 | 44 | 40 |
| Virginia | 11–7 | 19–10 | 36 | 49 |
| California | 9–9 | 18–13 | 53 | 60 |
| Stanford | 8–10 | 19–12 | 42 | 56 |
| Miami | 8–10 | 16–13 | 58 | 65 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–10 | 12–17 | 76 | 109 |
| Florida State | 5–13 | 10–20 | 107 | 138 |
| Wake Forest | 4–14 | 14–16 | 121 | 134 |
| SMU | 2–16 | 9–21 | 220 | 209 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–17 | 8–23 | 262 | 238 |
| Boston College | 1–17 | 5–26 | 247 | 283 |
* — Through Sunday games
Thursday’s results
No. 16 North Carolina 82, Virginia 70
No. 12 Louisville 69, Georgia Tech 50
Notre Dame 72, Syracuse 62
Miami 79, Pittsburgh 58
N.C. State 65, Wake Forest 58
No. 13 Duke 80, Florida State 52
Stanford 87, SMU 57
Clemson 70, California 63
Sunday’s results
No. 16 North Carolina 74, No. 13 Duke 69
Virginia Tech 83, Virginia 82
Georgia Tech 79, Miami 49
N.C. State 93, Pittsburgh 43
Stanford 85, Clemson 50
Syracuse 90, Boston College 65
Notre Dame 65, No. 12 Louisville 62
Florida State 77, Wake Forest 74, OT
California 78, SMU 34
End of regular season
ACC tournament
Gas South Arena
Duluth, Ga.
March 4–8
| Date | Day/month | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 30 | Thursday | L, 91–82 | No. 4 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. 3 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 | 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 No. 22 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 | L, 72–68 | at No. 8 Duke | 21–6, 10–4 |
| 19 | Thursday | W, 66–63, OT | at Virginia Tech | 22–6, 11–4 |
| 22 | Sunday | W, 78–50 | vs. Pittsburgh | 23–6, 12–4 |
| 26 | Thursday | W, 82–70 | at Virginia | 24–6, 13–4 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Sunday | W, 72–69 | vs. No. 8 Duke | 25–6, 14–4 |
| ACC tournament | Gas South Arena, Duluth, Ga. | |||
| 6 | Friday | W, 85–68 | Quarterfinal vs. Va. Tech | 26–6 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 65–57 | Semifinal vs. No. 13 Louisville | 26–7 |
| NCAA tournament Fort Worth 1 Regional | ||||
| 21 | Friday | W, 82–51 | First round in Chapel Hill: vs. Western Illinois | 27–7 |
| 23 | Sunday | W, 74–66 | Second round in Chapel Hill: No. 17 Maryland | 28–7 |
| 27 | Friday | L, 63–52 | Sweet 16 in Fort Worth, Texas: vs. No. 1 UConn | 28–8 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
