By UNC Athletics

On Sunday, the North Carolina women’s basketball team started their Atlantic Coast Conference season and ended the year with a victory at their home court, defeating Clemson 82-76 in front of a lively audience at Carmichael Arena.

The North Carolina Tar Heels, ranked 24th, have a record of 9 wins and 4 losses (1 win and 0 losses in the ACC) after securing their third consecutive victory. Meanwhile, Clemson drops to a record of 8 wins and 6 losses (1 win and 1 loss in the ACC).

After the basketball game, UNC coach Courtney Banghart expressed her satisfaction, stating that they made adjustments to their ball-screen coverages and were more effective in attacking from the high post and looking for opportunities in transition. Banghart also praised players Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby for their contributions throughout the game. She expressed her happiness and pride for their performance.

In the last game of 2023, Donarski was the top scorer for Carolina with 23 points, her highest as a Tar Heel thus far. She made six three-pointers, equaling her personal best at UNC and leading the team to their best performance of the season with 11 points. Ustby also had an impressive game, scoring 21 points and shooting 8-10, marking her second game with 20 or more points in the last three games. She also grabbed 11 rebounds, the most on the team, achieving her sixth double-double of the season and 28th of her career.

Deja Kelly, a senior player, reached double digits with 12 points and nearly achieved a double-double with eight assists, which matched her personal best. Her assists accounted for half of the team’s total for the game.

Each of the eight players from Carolina who played in the game scored a minimum of three points, leading to a total of 80 points for the Tar Heels. This marks the fourth time this season that they have surpassed 80 points.

Four players from Clemson, including Amari Robinson with 21 points, Dayshanette Harris with 19 points, Ruby Whitehorn with 14 points, and Eno Inyang with 10 points, scored in double figures. MaKayla Elmore also contributed 11 rebounds to help Clemson narrowly outscore UNC in rebounding, 38-37.

In the beginning, Carolina had a significant advantage, scoring 19 points while Clemson only had 5 with less than two minutes left in the first quarter. However, Clemson made a comeback and ended the quarter with a 6-0 run, eventually taking a one-point lead at 23-22 with 6:12 left in the period thanks to a second-chance shot by Inyang. Despite this, Carolina regained the lead with a three-pointer from Kelly and went into halftime with a score of 35-34.

In the third quarter, UNC made a significant number of three-point shots, with Donarski scoring four, Kelly scoring one, and Indya Nivar scoring one. This helped the Tar Heels extend their lead by double digits, as they made 6 out of 13 three-point attempts.

With less than five minutes left in the game, the margin decreased to three points. However, Carolina managed to maintain control and widen the gap once again. A steal and layup by Ustby extended the home team’s lead to 10 points with 2:33 remaining.

“I am a big fan of Amanda’s team,” stated UNC coach Courtney Banghart when discussing Clemson coach Amanda Butler’s Tigers. “We were aware that they would be a challenging opponent because of their fifth-year seniors who possess a scoring threat off the dribble and from the three-point line. Additionally, they have skilled post players – we anticipated it to be a competitive match. This just goes to show the strength of our league.”

UNC’s next game will be another ACC matchup at home on Thursday against Syracuse at Carmichael Arena. The game against the Orange will start at 6 p.m.

Source: wralsportsfan.com