University of North Carolina Athletics
Thursday, February 17
Chapel Hill
6 PM
North Carolina
66
vs
65
Louisville
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballWBB Takes Down No. 3 Louisville, 66-65
February 17, 2022 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – At the end of Thursday night's back-and-forth thriller, the No. 24 North Carolina women's basketball team was the one on top, knocking off No. 3 Louisville 66-65 at Carmichael Arena. With the victory in a game that included 13 lead changes, the Tar Heels improved to 20-5, reaching the 20-wins mark for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
"Well, that was fun," sophomore Kennedy Todd-Williams said in something of an understatement 15 minutes after she and her teammates celebrated wildly on the court then showered their coach with water in the locker room. "We played our butts off 'til the very end. We stayed locked in, we knew the scout. Louisville is a great team but we came on top. I think we did our job. It's a fun moment and an exciting moment for us."
UNC improved to 10-5 in ACC play, reaching double-digits in conference wins for the first time since that 2014-15 season. Louisville fell to 22-3 overall and 13-2 in the ACC.
Todd-Williams finished with a career-high 19 points, capped by a pair of free throws with 16.2 seconds to play. The first tied the score at 65 and the second put UNC ahead by what would prove to be the final margin. Louisville got off two shots after that, a three pointer and a final prayer that hung on the rim – "it felt like an hour," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said – before falling away and launching the Tar Heel celebration.
Deja Kelly also reached double figures with 18 points, 12 of which came before halftime. Alyssa Ustby led UNC in rebounding with nine as the Tar Heels won the battle of the boards by 10, 42-32.
The third-ranked Cardinals are the highest-ranked team Carolina has beaten under Banghart, who is in her third year in Chapel Hill. The program's last win against a team ranked at No. 3 or higher was in 2019, when Carolina upset then-No. 1 Notre Dame.
"I am so happy for them, to be validated with how much effort and how much better they've gotten over the last six months," Banghart said. "It's a team that just keeps getting better individually and collectively."
UNC held the lead for less than six of the game's 40 minutes. After trading buckets early, the Cardinals pulled ahead and were up by four at the end of the first period, when the visitors shot 50 percent from the field to UNC's 35.7. The Cardinals took a 10-point lead three times in the second quarter, but UNC cut the margin to five by halftime, 37-32, as Todd-Williams beat the buzzer with a lay-up.
Louisville held the advantage throughout the entire third quarter until the final moments, when Ustby drained a three and then Eva Hodgson converted a three-point play to put UNC up by 1, 48-47, with 28 seconds to play in the period. It was the Tar Heels' first lead since 10-9 midway through the first quarter. Louisville's Mykasa Robinson drained a three at the buzzer to send her team into the final period up by two.
The Cardinals extended their lead to as many as six points in the fourth quarter, but the Tar Heels continued to fight and went up by one, 59-58, on a jumper by Todd-Williams with 4:19 to play. In the final five minutes of the game, neither team led by more than two (Louisville with 3:12 to play) and Carolina was never up by more than one. After a Kelly jumper in the paint put Carolina up 64-63 with 22.2 seconds to play, Louisville's Hailey Van Lith answered with a lay-up off an in-bounds play to give Louisville the advantage again with 21.6 seconds remaining. Todd-Williams then delivered the final points of the game from the foul line, where the Tar Heels were 15-20 for the night.
"We just beat a really, really good basketball team," Banghart said. "It's the signature win we've been waiting for."
Next up for UNC is a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., where the Tar Heels will take on Florida State Sunday at noon. It's the first of back-to-back road games down the stretch before Carolina wraps up the regular season on Feb. 27 back at Carmichael against Duke.
"Well, that was fun," sophomore Kennedy Todd-Williams said in something of an understatement 15 minutes after she and her teammates celebrated wildly on the court then showered their coach with water in the locker room. "We played our butts off 'til the very end. We stayed locked in, we knew the scout. Louisville is a great team but we came on top. I think we did our job. It's a fun moment and an exciting moment for us."
WHAT A GAME!!!
Highlights from tonight's win over #3 Louisville ⬇️#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/mGSfaWDpMP
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) February 18, 2022
UNC improved to 10-5 in ACC play, reaching double-digits in conference wins for the first time since that 2014-15 season. Louisville fell to 22-3 overall and 13-2 in the ACC.
Todd-Williams finished with a career-high 19 points, capped by a pair of free throws with 16.2 seconds to play. The first tied the score at 65 and the second put UNC ahead by what would prove to be the final margin. Louisville got off two shots after that, a three pointer and a final prayer that hung on the rim – "it felt like an hour," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said – before falling away and launching the Tar Heel celebration.
Deja Kelly also reached double figures with 18 points, 12 of which came before halftime. Alyssa Ustby led UNC in rebounding with nine as the Tar Heels won the battle of the boards by 10, 42-32.
The third-ranked Cardinals are the highest-ranked team Carolina has beaten under Banghart, who is in her third year in Chapel Hill. The program's last win against a team ranked at No. 3 or higher was in 2019, when Carolina upset then-No. 1 Notre Dame.
"I am so happy for them, to be validated with how much effort and how much better they've gotten over the last six months," Banghart said. "It's a team that just keeps getting better individually and collectively."
UNC held the lead for less than six of the game's 40 minutes. After trading buckets early, the Cardinals pulled ahead and were up by four at the end of the first period, when the visitors shot 50 percent from the field to UNC's 35.7. The Cardinals took a 10-point lead three times in the second quarter, but UNC cut the margin to five by halftime, 37-32, as Todd-Williams beat the buzzer with a lay-up.
Louisville held the advantage throughout the entire third quarter until the final moments, when Ustby drained a three and then Eva Hodgson converted a three-point play to put UNC up by 1, 48-47, with 28 seconds to play in the period. It was the Tar Heels' first lead since 10-9 midway through the first quarter. Louisville's Mykasa Robinson drained a three at the buzzer to send her team into the final period up by two.
The Cardinals extended their lead to as many as six points in the fourth quarter, but the Tar Heels continued to fight and went up by one, 59-58, on a jumper by Todd-Williams with 4:19 to play. In the final five minutes of the game, neither team led by more than two (Louisville with 3:12 to play) and Carolina was never up by more than one. After a Kelly jumper in the paint put Carolina up 64-63 with 22.2 seconds to play, Louisville's Hailey Van Lith answered with a lay-up off an in-bounds play to give Louisville the advantage again with 21.6 seconds remaining. Todd-Williams then delivered the final points of the game from the foul line, where the Tar Heels were 15-20 for the night.
DOWN GOES #3 LOUISVILLE!!! 💙👣#GDTBATH #GOHEELS #INPURSUIT pic.twitter.com/xIcVygpoeq
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) February 18, 2022
"We just beat a really, really good basketball team," Banghart said. "It's the signature win we've been waiting for."
Next up for UNC is a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., where the Tar Heels will take on Florida State Sunday at noon. It's the first of back-to-back road games down the stretch before Carolina wraps up the regular season on Feb. 27 back at Carmichael against Duke.
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