Carmichael Comments: Not Tired Anymore

Alyssa Ustby
University of North Carolina Women's Basketball v North Carolina State
Carmichael Arena
Chapel Hill, NC
Sunday, February 7, 2021

Freshman Alyssa Ustby has a career-best day in Sunday's win over NC State.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

February 9, 2021 | Women's Basketball

By: Matt Krause

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball
Vol. 3, Edition 11: Not Tired Anymore
Three quarters were complete on Sunday afternoon inside Carmichael Arena. The Carolina women's basketball team was locked in a tight battle with archrival NC State – who just so happened to be ranked No. 4 in the country – and had the chance to defeat a top 10-ranked Wolfpack team for a third consecutive season.

A glance at the scoreboard showed the visitors from Raleigh in front by three, 52-49. But as recently as the 5:25 mark of that third quarter, Carolina had led by 12. A 13-0 NC State run followed, putting the Pack on top and sounding the alarm bells for Tar Heel head coach Courtney Banghart, because with a few exceptions, the fourth quarter of tight games has not been kind to her team this season. With the memory of blown leads against Wake Forest, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech on the road, and comeback chances falling by the wayside at home as recently as Thursday against Florida State lingering in her mind, Banghart addressed her team.

"How tired are you of losing games in the fourth quarter?"

Eight losses – all decided by 12 points or less. And now, it was up to the players to avoid making it nine.

"They said what they had to say, and I said 'show me. Show me how tired you are of losing in the fourth quarter'," Banghart said.

The hungry bunch of Tar Heels clearly weren't ready to roll over and go to sleep against their rivals, because a final stanza in which Carolina outscored NC State 27-17 followed. Ten minutes of game time later, the Tar Heels had a 76-69 win, securing a victory over the highest-ranked opponent in Banghart's tenure in Chapel Hill.

How'd the Tar Heels do it? For one, they dialed long distance. The win against NC State featured 11 made three-pointers, the most in an ACC game under Banghart and most for UNC since 14 against Georgia Tech in January 2019. Five of those 11 threes came in the fourth quarter, when the Heels were 5-for-6 from behind the arc. A three from Petra Holešínská tied the game at 52 all, and another shortly after from Kennedy Todd-Williams gave Carolina the lead for good at 55-54. As Coach Banghart likes to say, long shots are worth three and close shots are worth two, so especially when NC State went 4-for-19 from three, the three-point shooting provided a major advantage.

Additionally in the fourth quarter, Carolina controlled the rebound margin 13-10, including four offensive rebounds. The rebounding aspect was an area of focus for Banghart and her team. "We secured the glass as best we could, and we stuck to our principles," she explained.

Changing the outcome of a series of tough results begins, as cliché as it sounds, by controlling the controllables, specifically team effort. Carolina knew that the effort against NC State needed to be better than in the 61-51 loss to Florida State on Thursday, a game that Banghart said the Tar Heels "balled up and threw in the trash" mentally.

"We had a little fire in our belly from the way we played the other night," she said. "And I told them all we could control was the effort we bring to the game."

The effort finally turned into results, and the Tar Heels walked away with a third upset in as many seasons.

"It was awesome," Banghart said. "They just keep fighting and fighting and fighting. It's a huge win late in the season and I'm happy for them."

Here's what else caught my eye this week…

Ustby's Dominance
Alyssa Ustby enjoyed a career day on Sunday, registering career highs in points (20), field goals (eight), three-pointers made (four), rebounds (12), and assists (five). The double-double was the second of the season for Ustby, but first against an ACC foe, as her previous effort came in non-conference play against High Point. Additionally, she became the second Tar Heel, joining Stephanie Watts against High Point and Notre Dame, to lead Carolina in scoring, rebounding, and assists in a game this season.

Sunday's game for the freshman from Minnesota was notable for a couple of reasons. First off, with Malu Tshitenge unavailable, Ustby started at the "four" spot. In a traditional system, Ustby at that could have been a disadvantage, but her size is very comparable with that of NC State's starting four, Kayla Jones. Secondly, Ustby was trying to bounce back from her first career scoreless game against Florida State, the third in a three-game stretch in which she did not score in double figures. For Banghart, the key to getting Ustby back on track was helping her slow the game down. That enabled better shot selection and accuracy.

"You want to play fast in the open court, but in the quarter-court you have to slow it down so that you can read where the openings are," Banghart explained. "She's worked hard on her threes, she spends a lot of time here in the gym."

And while Ustby's memorable game occurred in front of family and friends only, Banghart predicts that performances like that will become more frequent and take place in front of the home crowd in the future.

"It couldn't happen to a better kid, she's going to make a lot of fans happy here in Carmichael," Banghart said.

Zelaya Contributes
With Tshitenge out for Carolina on Sunday, the Tar Heel post depth was tested, especially when starting center Janelle Bailey picked up two personal fouls in the first half. Enter Ali Zelaya, the freshman from Arizona who had appeared in only two ACC games prior to this week. At 6-4, Zelaya's mold and range have drawn comparisons from Banghart to Kylee Shook, a starter on last year's highly-touted Louisville team. Zelaya played four minutes on Sunday in the first half, scoring two points and continuing to build on her growth.

Banghart initially inserted Zelaya in Thursday's fourth quarter when the Tar Heels were desperate for any sort of spark against Florida State. Though it was ultimately too little too late, Zelaya provided that spark with a career-high-matching seven points on 3-for-3 shooting.

"I met with (Ali) this week to make sure she knows she's getting better," Banghart said. "She lifts four times extra a week, she's trusting the process of learning the physicality of the game. No one on our team is surprised by it."

Sunday's Historical Context
As is to be expected, Sunday's big win triggered a handful of "first since" nuggets. Factoring in Sunday and the Dec. 17 win over No. 18 Syracuse, Carolina has now beaten two ranked teams at home in the same season for the first time since 2014-15, and two top-20 teams at home in the same season for the first time since 2013-14.

To find the last three-season stretch in which the Tar Heels beat the same opponent when the opponent was ranked each year, you look back to 2013-15 and Florida State. For a top-10 opponent beaten three straight seasons? That's Duke from 2009-11.

Up Next
Carolina's scheduled Thursday game with Boston College has been postponed due to COVID protocols impacting the Boston College program, with no decision made at this time regarding a makeup contest. As a result, the Tar Heels currently have just one game scheduled for this week, a Sunday trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Pitt Panthers. Carolina won 70-62 in the last meeting, played Dec. 30, 2019 at Carmichael, in a game that marked Coach Banghart's ACC debut. The Petersen Events Center, Pitt's home arena, has been a house of horrors for Carolina, though. The Tar Heels are 0-3 at Pitt since the Panthers joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season, with all three losses coming by at least 13 points. Here's hoping that trend is broken on Sunday!

With tip at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, our Tar Heel Sports Network coverage of the game begins with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show at 1:30 p.m. Catch the call streaming worldwide for free on the TuneIn app (search "North Carolina Tar Heels Women's Basketball"), GoHeels.com (click "listen" on the women's basketball schedule), and the GoHeels app. Additionally, fans in the Triangle can tune in on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM.

In the meantime, check out this week's edition of the Courtney Banghart Show on the Tar Heel Voices podcast channel. Fans can listen after Wednesday morning by clicking here, or by searching "Tar Heel Voices" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to the channel to automatically receive each episode! Plus, fans in the Triangle can listen on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM on Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m.

That's all for now! Go Heels!
-Matt