University of North Carolina Athletics
Thursday, January 4
Chapel Hill
6 PM
North Carolina
75
vs
51
Syracuse
Alyssa Ustby finished Thursday's game with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to register the first triple-double in program history.
Photo by: AINSLEY E. FAUTH
Ustby's Triple-Double Headlines WBB Win Over No. 25 Syracuse
January 4, 2024 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – On Monday, the UNC women's basketball team fell out of the national rankings for the first time this season. Thursday night, the Tar Heels made their case for getting back in. North Carolina beat No. 25 Syracuse – the team that climbed into the poll in UNC's place – 75-51 at Carmichael Arena to improve to 10-4 overall and 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Senior Alyssa Ustby registered the first triple-double in program history with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the only player in NCAA history with 15+ points, 15+ rebounds and 10 assists against a ranked opponent. "Sixteen rebounds, 16 points, 10 assists ... it's not just a triple-double, she shattered it," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said.
Junior center Maria Gakdeng led UNC in scoring with 22 points, equal to her career high. She was 9-12 from the field, benefitting from many of those Ustby assists, and already had 15 points by halftime.
Graduate student Lexi Donarski also hit double figures with 14 points, including four three-pointers, giving her a total of 10 made threes over the past two games.
The Tar Heels never trailed but led by just two at halftime, 32-30, after the Orange (11-2, 1-1 ACC) closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run. UNC was shooting 50 percent for the game and Ustby already had nine assists, six rebounds and five points, but said that her mind wasn't on her own stats.
"We were going into the half up two, so that was our major concern – we want to beat a top 25 team," she said. "That's a spot that we want to be in. We want to be ranked and we know that we deserve to be ranked so we had to prove it."
Carolina rolled out of the locker room and outscored the visitors 25-6 in the third quarter to put the game away. In that same quarter, Ustby reached the historic milestone, getting to 10 points with a free throw with 1:17 to play in the quarter. Her make put the Tar Heels up by 20, 56-36, and Banghart subbed her out to cheers from the Carmichael crowd.
Freshman Reniya Kelly was the team's fourth-quarter star, scoring a game-best seven points on 3-3 shooting in the period. She returned to the court after missing the past three games with an injury.
The 24-point win matched the largest margin against a ranked team in Banghart's five seasons in Chapel Hill. The first time that happened was also against Syracuse, during the 2020-21 season.
Next up for UNC is another meeting with a ranked team as the Tar Heels travel to face No. 16 Notre Dame on Sunday.
Senior Alyssa Ustby registered the first triple-double in program history with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the only player in NCAA history with 15+ points, 15+ rebounds and 10 assists against a ranked opponent. "Sixteen rebounds, 16 points, 10 assists ... it's not just a triple-double, she shattered it," UNC coach Courtney Banghart said.
She does it all 🤩
Congrats @alyssaustby! #GoHeels | #InPursuit pic.twitter.com/vHF5K0s5Jj
— Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 5, 2024
Junior center Maria Gakdeng led UNC in scoring with 22 points, equal to her career high. She was 9-12 from the field, benefitting from many of those Ustby assists, and already had 15 points by halftime.
Graduate student Lexi Donarski also hit double figures with 14 points, including four three-pointers, giving her a total of 10 made threes over the past two games.
The Tar Heels never trailed but led by just two at halftime, 32-30, after the Orange (11-2, 1-1 ACC) closed the second quarter with a 7-0 run. UNC was shooting 50 percent for the game and Ustby already had nine assists, six rebounds and five points, but said that her mind wasn't on her own stats.
"We were going into the half up two, so that was our major concern – we want to beat a top 25 team," she said. "That's a spot that we want to be in. We want to be ranked and we know that we deserve to be ranked so we had to prove it."
Carolina rolled out of the locker room and outscored the visitors 25-6 in the third quarter to put the game away. In that same quarter, Ustby reached the historic milestone, getting to 10 points with a free throw with 1:17 to play in the quarter. Her make put the Tar Heels up by 20, 56-36, and Banghart subbed her out to cheers from the Carmichael crowd.
Freshman Reniya Kelly was the team's fourth-quarter star, scoring a game-best seven points on 3-3 shooting in the period. She returned to the court after missing the past three games with an injury.
The 24-point win matched the largest margin against a ranked team in Banghart's five seasons in Chapel Hill. The first time that happened was also against Syracuse, during the 2020-21 season.
Next up for UNC is another meeting with a ranked team as the Tar Heels travel to face No. 16 Notre Dame on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
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