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#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and guards Elina Aarnisalo and Indya Nivar after loss to #UCLA
Nov 14, 2025
#UNC coach Courtney Banghart and guards Elina Aarnisalo and Indya Nivar after loss to #UCLA
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0:00
coach, whenever you're ready.
0:01
Yeah. Well, first off, I want to thank
0:02
WBCA for putting this event on. Um, you
0:05
know, it was great for us to have an
0:07
opportunity to play um such a good team
0:09
so early. You know, that was the design
0:11
as we prepare for our our journey with a
0:14
lot of new pieces and a lot of young
0:15
guys and um all the things. And it's a a
0:18
really good team. It was as good as
0:19
advertised. They're long. They're deep.
0:21
They're very experienced. So, they've
0:23
gone through a lot of things, which
0:24
means that when there's game pressure,
0:26
there's a little bit more confidence and
0:28
assuredness, right? right? We're still
0:30
sort of going to learn through game
0:31
pressure, right? Learn through what that
0:33
what that looks like and feels like and
0:34
what has to come next. Um and so, uh
0:37
congrats to a very good UCLA team and
0:40
we're excited for uh the opportunity to
0:42
continue to grow from it. You know, I
0:44
give these two a lot of credit. Um we've
0:46
been through it. Uh especially India,
0:47
she's been on a long journey here. Um
0:49
and you know, I thought you saw her
0:51
fighting spirit. Um and she'll continue
0:53
to be important as we continue to grow
0:55
this this this group where we need to
0:57
be. Cory had to be thrilled the first
0:59
half. He forced turnovers, got scored in
1:01
transition. Can you talk about that
1:03
first and then what kind of win in the
1:05
second half?
1:06
Yeah, I mean statistically we took more
1:08
shots and we turned the ball over less,
1:09
right? Like you win a lot of those
1:11
games. Uh you don't win them if you
1:13
shoot 34% from two and 25% from three,
1:16
right? Um so you certainly have to shoot
1:18
it a little bit better. We'll have to
1:19
see the film to see what what shots we
1:21
like, what shots we wish we could get
1:22
back. Um you know um so that's part of
1:25
it. Uh and then they kind of went on a
1:28
run. They went into the middle ball
1:29
screen stuff and and we um you know bet
1:31
is a problem, right? You have to really
1:33
manage that problem. Um and as a result,
1:36
it forces you to make decisions. Are you
1:37
going to put two on the ball? Are you
1:38
going to put um are you going to fan
1:40
out? Um and so you try to do you can to
1:43
mix that up. But uh that middle ball
1:45
screen created some problems for us. And
1:46
then we let sort of right drivers drive
1:48
right. We we we sometimes we dug and
1:50
swarm when we weren't supposed to. So,
1:51
some some defensive things, but you
1:53
know, um it's it's also that we were we
1:57
scored 18 points in the second half or
1:58
maybe it was a little bit more than
1:59
that. I can't I guess we scored 26 in
2:02
the doesn't seem right. Um maybe we did,
2:05
but um I think we we can we can continue
2:09
to grow on the offensive end. You know,
2:11
we we're better. We we we win the paint.
2:13
We can find our next guy. It's what
2:14
happens next against a really good
2:16
defensive team. Um, and so I think our
2:18
next steps are clear and we're we're
2:19
excited to get back to it.
2:20
For both players, can you talk about the
2:22
hot playing well with the number three
2:24
team in the country for one half and
2:26
then it just kind of slips away?
2:28
Um, I would say we know we can compete
2:29
with the best teams in the country. We
2:31
have all we need. Um, it's just putting
2:33
it all together for 40 minutes. I feel
2:34
like that's what um we've been learning
2:37
and what we learned against South
2:38
Carolina. I feel like this is a better
2:40
learning experience for us. We see that
2:41
we can do it for longer. It's just we
2:43
need to get to that 40-minute mark
2:45
before March because I feel like we can
2:47
compete with the best teams.
2:48
Yeah, I agree with her. Like we've seen
2:50
we can do it like we see it every day in
2:52
practice. We can do it just like we need
2:54
to figure out the way to do it for 40
2:55
minutes.
2:56
What were the emotions for you obviously
2:58
playing a bunch of former teammates and
3:00
you came out really playing well on both
3:03
ends. Can you talk about the the
3:04
emotions of the game for you and how it
3:06
went for you?
3:07
Yeah, I mean of course I was a little
3:09
bit more nervous than for a regular
3:10
game. Um, but as the game started, it's
3:12
it's a basketball game that I've I've
3:14
done this for my whole life. So,
3:16
everywhere.
3:17
Yeah, everywhere like since I was a
3:19
little kid. So, um, I mean, yeah, I
3:22
mean, it was fun playing my old
3:23
teammates. Um, seeing them do good, you
3:26
know.
3:26
Yeah, it was nice.
3:27
Any chatter with your former teammates
3:29
during the game?
3:30
Um, no. No, not really.
3:32
She doesn't really chat much. I told her
3:35
when we started, I said, "My favorite
3:37
player to watch from UCLA last year is
3:39
on my team." So, uh, I thought she was
3:41
good to see her kind of get some jitters
3:42
out of the way and
3:43
and handle that.
3:45
You talk about Sierra battling Pence
3:48
fairly well for much of the night, but
3:49
you just can't hold her down. And and
3:51
giving you the perimeter uh game as well
3:54
and then BA coming in off the bench.
3:56
Yeah. You know, Sierra's played hasn't
3:58
played much here and has, you know, as
4:00
as E so eloquently said, like we see it
4:02
in practice and she just needs these
4:03
game pressure moments. you know, we have
4:05
a lot of freshman and sophomores and
4:06
then we've got kind of India as our like
4:08
grandma in the group. Um, and so they
4:10
just need all this game pressure, you
4:12
know, and so, um, she did a lot of good
4:15
things and she's she's certainly better.
4:17
She's four games better than she was in
4:18
our first contest. Um, and then Blanca,
4:21
her first chance to just start her
4:22
sophomore campaign, you know, again, she
4:24
hasn't played a minute for us yet this
4:26
year and then has to play against um,
4:28
the number one draft pick, you know, um,
4:30
and do that on the road. So, um, you
4:32
know, it's good to just get her game
4:33
minutes and and get her started and her,
4:36
um, us finding our rhythm. You know,
4:37
we're getting a little bit more from
4:38
Rayiah, um, as she continues to work her
4:40
way back. So, we still got some pieces
4:41
that we've got to find our rhythm for.
4:43
But, as India said, there's enough here.
4:45
We've just got to keep getting better.
4:47
It's not with a young team, it's not
4:49
going to happen in the first month. We
4:50
knew that. We know that, right? But I I
4:52
know this group and I know they'll
4:53
continue to to push to get better and
4:55
better.
4:55
Well, Rene's progression. She's still on
4:57
minutes restrictions. Obviously, she
4:58
played board. She played in the first
4:59
two games.
5:00
Yeah. We just keep keep adding and
5:02
seeing how it goes, you know. Um we just
5:04
this is non-conference, you know. You
5:05
got to win you got to win your
5:06
conference, right? So, we're going to
5:08
make sure that we're not doing anything
5:10
in the non-conference that will affect
5:11
the conference, quite frankly. So, we'll
5:13
continue to to progress her as is needed
5:16
um and as her body allows and um you
5:19
know, just be smart that we know we've
5:20
got a a huge ACC gauntlet ahead and
5:22
she's very experienced. We feel very
5:24
comfortable with what she'll be able to
5:25
do in December.
5:27
any individual performances from your
5:29
girls that that kind of surprise you
5:31
today?
5:32
No, I mean it's I I really feel like
5:35
there was a it's it's I I sort of I see
5:39
them every day, right? And so I know we
5:40
could say I think they don't I
5:42
appreciate that they don't recognize how
5:43
young they are. Um and I I give again
5:45
India a lot of credit. She doesn't let
5:46
them recognize that. She didn't have
5:47
time for them to spend a year to get
5:49
better. Um and I think what they're
5:51
showing is that they're I mean this is
5:53
the best Elena's played, right? And so
5:55
our pieces are playing better and better
5:56
and our young kids are getting more and
5:57
more game pressure which is what we need
5:59
in November. Um and I think the infusion
6:02
of of confidence that India throws into
6:04
them um and then leads by example in
6:06
terms of her fearlessness is what we
6:07
need right so they're doing that.
6:10
Can you speak to Ben specifically
6:12
obviously you've played with her you
6:13
were familiar with her and you've seen
6:15
this before. Um, yeah. I mean, Lauren's
6:17
a great player. Like, we've accept
6:20
expect her to be the number one draft
6:22
pick. Like, with her size, her skill
6:23
set, like it's hard to guard her. Um, I
6:26
mean, I think we did a great job uh
6:28
forcing her to take like tough shots,
6:30
dribble the ball, which of course with
6:32
her length, she wants you to just put it
6:34
up and not have to dribble and make a
6:35
lot of moves. So, I think we did a great
6:37
job with that.
6:37
And then we had time for one last
6:39
question. Good. Uh, what what kind of
6:43
statement did you all make tonight with
6:45
this game in here?
6:48
Um, I hope that we show we can compete
6:50
with the best. Um, I know it's not there
6:52
yet, but we have all that we need to
6:54
compete. We have all the skill, all the
6:56
players that we need, and it's going to
6:57
come together for sure at the when it
6:59
when the time is right.
7:01
Perfect. Thanks, everyone. UCLA UCLA
7:03
will be in