WBB Marches Into NCAA Second Round

Friday, March 22

Columbia, S.C.

11:30 AM

North Carolina

20-12,11-7ACC

Michigan State (NCAA Tournament First Round)

22-9,12-6Big Ten

Michigan St.

North Carolina

Maria Gakdeng, Teonni Key and Deja Kelly celebrate during UNC's win over Michigan State Friday.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

March 22, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Tournament Central Photo Gallery

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The North Carolina women's basketball team rolled out to a 16-point first-quarter lead then held on as Michigan State surged late to win 59-56 and earn another game in its season. The Tar Heels, who are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row, advanced to Sunday's second round and will face host South Carolina, which beat Presbyterian in the second of Friday's games at Colonial Life Arena.

UNC improved to 20-12, reaching the 20-wins milestone for the third season in a row and the 28^th time in program history. The victory was the 350^th career win for Courtney Banghart, who is in her fifth season as the Tar Heels' head coach and is coaching in the NCAA Tournament for the 12^th time in the past 15 seasons.

Two Tar Heels finished the day with double-doubles. Maria Gakdeng, a junior transfer playing in her first NCAA Tournament game, led Carolina with 17 points and added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and seventh of her career. She did all that in just under 22 minutes of paying time.

Senior Alyssa Ustby had a double-double by the end of the third quarter and finished with 16 points and a season-best 17 rebounds, one shy of her career high. She also had a team-best six assists and tied Gakdeng with three blocks.

Senior Deja Kelly also hit double figures with 13 points.

The Tar Heels shot 52.6 percent in the first quarter to jump out to their biggest lead of the game – 23-7 – with a minute to play in the period. They would hang onto at least a little it of that cushion for the rest of the game, as the Spartans surged and Carolina cooled. By halftime MSU had trimmed the Tar Heel lead to eight, 34-27, and neither team gained much ground in a low-scoring third quarter in which UNC totaled nine points and MSU eight, with neither shooting better than 25 percent from the field.

UNC led 44-35 heading into the fourth quarter and pushed its advantage to 15 early in the period on a steal and jumper by Kelly that made the score 50-35 with 6:30 remaining. Carolina still led by 12 with 3:22 remaining before a 9-0 run by Michigan State made it a three-point game with 38 seconds to play. After a free throw by Kelly made it a four-point advantage again, Tory Ozment's lay-up cut the margin to two, 55-53 with 18 seconds remaining. Lexi Donarski hit two free throws to put Carolina up by four, then MSU's Theryn Hallock cut it to one with a three, her first of the game. UNC was able to close it out with a pair of Kelly free throws, thanks to offensive boards by Teonni Key and Ustby.

After their blazing start, the Tar Heels finished up shooting 40.7 percent for the day. They didn't hit a field goal in the final 3:22 of action.

Notes:
• UNC's 59 points marked the team's third-lowest score in a win this season, behind only Vermont (54-51) and Wake Forest (58-50).
• Maria Gakdeng's seven offensive rebounds were one more than the entire Michigan State team had.
• UNC is now 51-29 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and 22-6 in first-round games.
• The Tar Heels improved to 5-1 all-time against the Spartans, with the last two matchups both in the NCAA Tournament but a decade apart.
• Deja Kelly played all 40 minutes for the 11th time this season and the fourth time in the past five games.