By R.L. Bynum
Lanie Grant is playing the best basketball of her career, and that has No. 16 North Carolina a win away from the ACC championship game.
Grant scored a career-high 21 points and sank four big 3-pointers as the Tar Heels pulled away for an 85–68 victory Friday over Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament quarterfinals at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga.
“Certainly this is the best time of the year,” UNC coach Courtney Banghart said after h er team shot 51.6% from the floor and 41.2% from 3-point range. “We knew this was a tough game. We keep talking about the most dangerous teams keep getting better and, obviously, based on the results, we keep getting better.”
The Tar Heels will face Louisville (26–6), which advanced with an 87–61 win over Syracuse, looking to avenge a 76–66 overtime home loss to the Cardinals on Dec. 14.
UNC (26–6) has won six straight and 13 of its last 14 after pouring in seven 3-pointers to boost its season total to a program record 271.
Grant said the team was still riding the high of Sunday’s senior-day victory over Duke.
“We believe in ourselves as a team, so we knew it was possible,” Grant told ACC Network. “But rolling in a March when we’re playing your best basketball, getting one in their home court senior night against Duke, like, that’s great motivation.”
When UNC started out cold and was trying to take control, Grant made some huge 3-pointers, scoring 10 points and two 3-pointers in the first half.
Banghart credited Grant’s shot-making for unlocking the offense and creating lanes for fellow guard Elina Aarnisalo (18 points, 2 3-pointers, 6 assists and 5 rebounds).
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“Lanie had a quick trigger, and they gave her space to begin with,” Banghart said. “She hasn’t had much space, so she was excited about that and trigger-happy and trigger-ready, and made some big shots.”
Despite battling foul trouble, Grant logged 38 minutes and repeatedly steadied UNC when the Hokies threatened.
Just like the Heels’ 66–63 overtime win at Blacksburg, Va., 15 days earlier, they started cold, this time making only four of their first 15 shots before making nine of 16 to rally from a six-point deficit to take a 40–27 halftime lead.
Aarnisalo sparked an 8–0 spurt with a 3-pointer, and the defense held the Hokies without a field goal for the final 5:48 of the half to build a 40–27 edge at the break.
Banghart said UNC anticipated some early rust after the double-bye, but eventually found their legs.
“Once we did that, I liked a lot of the takes,” she said. “We just didn’t make them.”
What bothered her more was the defense in the first quarter.
“I was more concerned about the fact that we gave up 16 points and I thought they were ones we could have gotten back,” Banghart said, attributing the slow start to being excited about playing in the ACC tournament. “We were a little bit off rhythm, but stuck to the game plan, and we were all right.”
UNC had a hard time stopping Carleigh Wenzel, who scored 26 points. But she missed all six 3-pointers, and the Hokies went 2-of-18 outside the arc. Wenzel did most of her damage in converting 14 of 15 free-throw attempts.
Nyla Harris dominated the paint for the second time this season against Tech, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double.
Aarnisalo said the message in every huddle was clear.
“I think for us it was mostly about being tough, but noticing the foul calls and being aware of that,” she said after a game with 40 fouls called, leading Grant, Harris and Laila Hull to all finished with four fouls. “But just staying together, knowing what we need to do, box out, rebound. That was all the emphasis in every huddle.”
Harris admitted that it was ugly at times, but the Tar Heels got the job done.
“It’s about staying together, playing tough,” she said. “And I think that’s the way we overcame that, was just playing through it and trusting each other and just holding each other accountable when we didn’t make the right plays, or we were being lazy on defense.”
UNC blitzed out of halftime, as Indya Nivar (7 points, 3 rebounds) converted an acrobatic three-point play, then jumped a passing lane to set up a post bucket for Ciera Toomey that pushed the lead to 18 in the first minute of the third quarter.
The Hokies answered with a 17–8 run to get within nine despite a pair of Grant 3s. Grant’s driving three-point play halted a nearly two-minute UNC scoring drought and nudged the lead back to 12 with 3:22 left in the third, and the Tar Heels carried a 64–51 cushion into the fourth.
“Their guards are really speedy, so you have to play underneath them as quick as you can,” Banghart said. “We were able to use our depth and get underneath them better, which was good. We have bigs who can move, which helps. Their guards are hard to guard.”
When Virginia Tech pulled within 10 on Wenzel’s three-point play with 6:30 to go, Harris answered with a strong drive and a finish inside that ignited a 14–4 run, capped by an Aarnisalo jumper at the 1:02 mark to stretch the margin to 20.
Harris, a senior Louisville transfer, will see plenty of familiar faces in the semifinals.
“I’m excited to play them [Saturday],” Harris said. “I think my teammates are, as well, and we’re ready to get back. There’s nothing much to say except being ready for [Saturday]. They’re a great team and so are we.”
For Aarnisalo, the December loss to Louisville already feels distant.
“It doesn’t really matter what happened in the last game,” she said. “It’s a new opportunity, and we’ve got so much better since [that] game.”
Notes
— Carolina’s 30th semifinal appearance is the most in league history.
— UNC’s 85 points are the most in an ACC tournament game since the Tar Heels beat Duke 86–73 in the 2008 championship game, and the 17-point win is the largest in the event under Banghart.
— Grant’s previous career-high was 19 points on Feb. 23, 2025, against Louisville and Nov. 19, 2025, against Columbia.
— The Hokies advanced to the quarterfinals with a 62–54 second-round victory on Thursday over Georgia Tech.
— Junior guard Reniya Kelly was listed as a game-time decision, but missed her eighth consecutive game.
— Pualani Spurlock was one of the three referees. She also worked the Tar Heels’ game at Duke when they never attempted a free throw. This was the first game since then that Carolina has seen any of the three referees who worked that ga me.
—There was a spot on press row and flowers in memory of Dana Gelin, the longtime UNC women’s basketball sports information contact for UNC, who died of breast cancer last year.
— Carolina leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech 24–16 after sweeping both meetings this season, including 2–1 in ACC tournament games.
No. 17 UNC 85, Virginia Tech 68
ACC tournament
No. 10 California 75, No. 15 Wake Forest 52
No. 11 Georgia Tech 72, No. 14 Florida State 60
Thursday’s second round
No. 9 Clemson 63, Virginia 50
No. 5 Notre Dame 69, Miami 54
No. 7 Syracuse 70, California 59
No. 6 Virginia Tech 62, Georgia Tech 54
Friday’s quarterfinals
No. 1 Duke 60, Clemson 54
Notre Dame 81, No. 5 N.C. State 63
No. 2 Louisville 87, Syracuse 61
No. 3 North Carolina 85, Virginia Tech 68
Saturday’s semifinals
Duke 65, Notre Dame 63
Louisville 65, North Carolina 57
Sunday’s championship
Duke 70, Louisville 65, OT
| 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 |
Photos courtesy of the ACC
