Banghart Earns 100th Win At UNC, WBB Pushes Past Ball State In Battle4Atlantis

Saturday, November 23

Paradise Island, Bahamas

6:30 PM

North Carolina

4-1,0-0ACC

Ball State

4-1,0-0MAC

Ball St.

North Carolina

Banghart Earns 100th Win At UNC, WBB Pushes Past Ball State In Battle4Atlantis

November 23, 2024 | Women's Basketball

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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – In its opening game of the 2024 Battle4Atlantis, No. 16 North Carolina pushed past Ball State, 63-52 as head coach Courtney Banghart earned her 100^th win at the helm of the Tar Heels.

Freshman Lanie Grant posted a breakout performance, with a team best and career-high 15 points as North Carolina (4-1) advanced past Ball State (4-1) to move to the semifinals on Sunday.

Alongside Grant in double-figures, Alyssa Ustby tallied 12 points and snagged 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. The fifth year also surpassed the 1,000-career rebound mark and is one of nine Tar Heels to eclipse the threshold.

Trayanna Crisp set a UNC-best with 12 points and dished out three assists, while shooting a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.

UNC's defense came to play, forcing BSU to cough up the ball quickly in the early minutes. The three's started to fall towards the end of the first quarter as Carolina jumped out with a 9-0 run to lead 19-10 through one.

Both teams fell into a shooting slump during the second frame, yet UNC powered by Crisp and Grant extended Carolina's lead by as many as 14. Ball State proved it wasn't going away easily, with an 8-0 run to end the half with the Tar Heels maintaining its advantage, 35-29.

Ball State began to heat up from deep and cut Carolina's lead to four midway through the third quarter. Carolina immediately responded with a quick 9-0 run to go ahead by 10 once again. By working its way to the paint, UNC remained ahead 54-44 with 10 minutes remaining.

Finding its way to the charity stripe, UNC shut down Ball State's offense to go ahead and earn the 63-52 victory over the Cardinals.

The Tar Heels face a quick turnaround, facing off against the winner of Texas A&M vs. Villanova tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET. The semifinals of the 2024 Battle4Atlantis is set to stream on FloHoops.