Carmichael Comments: Not For The Faint Of Heart

Carmichael Comments: Not For the Faint of Heart
Vol. 7, No. 13
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

All that matters is that you win by one.

Just one point of difference at the final horn decides the winner of a basketball game, a fact that Carolina Women's Basketball fans have become quite familiar with over the last few weeks. Carolina defended its home court with a pair of wins last week by six total points – a five-point come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech, 67-62, and a heart-pounding one-point triumph against No. 10 NC State, 66-65. Here's a few notes and nuggets from the week that was:

Carolina has won four straight games by five points or fewer for the first time since December 1987: 69-66 vs. Iowa State (3), 77-73 vs. South Carolina (4), 82-79 vs. Florida State (3), and 90-87 vs. Georgia State (3).

It's become a Sunday tradition as expected as a family dinner or 60 Minutes on TV: Carolina playing a close game, and the opponent has the ball last. Remarkably, the scenario has played out four Sundays in a row now, and since Florida State's game-winning layup on January 26th, Carolina has been up for the task. First, it was Stanford, and Alyssa Ustby forcing a miss when the Cardinal had the chance to tie the game. Then, at Clemson, the Tigers could not get a shot off with the ball down two. Thursday's 67-62 win over Virginia Tech felt like a blowout given the close games the Tar Heels had been playing.

That brings us to Sunday. After Grace Townsend sunk two free throws to give Carolina the lead, NC State had 5.2 seconds to try and regain the lead and earn the win. Carolina went zone out of the initial NC State timeout, prompting the Wolfpack to take time again to draw up another play to counter what the Tar Heels had presented.
Carolina expected the ball to be put into the hands of dynamic NC State guard Aziaha James, and that's exactly what happened. James dashed to her left, tried to work her way to the baseline, but was unable to get a clean shot off and Carolina defended without fouling.

"We kept bodies in front of the ball and wanted to "chest up" on drives," Carolina Head Coach Courtney Banghart explained. "We just got enough from everybody – just enough."

Reniya Kelly established new career highs in points (23), field goals made (9), and three-pointers made (5). Kelly became the third Tar Heel, joining Lexi Donarski and Trayanna Crisp, to hit five threes in a game this season. Kelly is the first Tar Heel with back-to-back 20+ point games this season.

The legend of Reniya Kelly continues to grow. It took Kelly just over seven minutes in Sunday's first quarter to score in double figures for a career-best sixth straight game. She kept on scoring from there, expanding her range to a consistent three-point stroke. The biggest three-pointer came with just 1:39 to go, moments after NC State had pushed their lead back to six and seemed to make Carolina's comeback efforts an uphill climb. Kelly calmly launched from the left wing, and cut the lead in half. The three-ball gave Kelly a career-best 23 points, and her first game with five made threes as a Tar Heel.

"She's just such a dawg," Banghart said, repeating the refrain that has become commonplace about Kelly from her teammates and coaches. "We needed her."

Even more special for Kelly, her parents and brother were in town from Hoover, Ala., able to see her consecutive 20+ point games with their own eyes – it was the first home game her father had seen all season, Banghart said later.

The effort helped Kelly earn ACC Player of the Week honors for the first time, the fourth Tar Heel ACC Player of the Week nod in the Banghart era. In the eyes of her coach, it's an arrival that's been building behind the scenes.

"You guys are seeing what I've seen all along about Reniya," she said. "And that's a player that you want on your team."

NC State's four points scored in the second quarter were the Wolfpack's fewest in a quarter this season and fewest point total for a Carolina opponent in a quarter this season.

After 10 minutes, the Tar Heels were in a hole, down 19-12. They had lost Alyssa Ustby to injury for the remainder of the game, and NC State had grabbed the momentum on the road early. Then the game started to change. Carolina gradually chipped away, and took the lead with 2:42 left before halftime. NC State would finish the half without a field goal for the final 6:05.

Carolina had previously held Villanova without a field goal for the entire third quarter of the teams' Battle4Atlantis semifinal clash in November, but the Wildcats knocked down five free throws in the period. Five points was matched defensively in the third quarter of Carolina's beatdown of Norfolk State in December. But Sunday, the four points were both a season-low for Carolina defensively and for NC State on the offensive end.

"They were really spacing us out and trying to attack 1-v-1," Banghart explained. While diagramming the Wolfpack's successes on the grease board before the quarter, she told her team that the game plan would be to double the ball "whenever you're within three feet." By making NC State play in a crowd, that 1-v-1 offensive success from the first quarter was negated.

Grace Townsend made three field goals against Virginia Tech, her third straight game of 3+ made field goals for the first time this season, then hit the winning free throws to clinch the victory against NC State.

We've written and talked throughout the season about Grace Townsend and her process to find her role as a one-year graduate transfer from Richmond, and it seems as if she's found that role at the right time of the year. Townsend followed up her eight-point fourth quarter at Clemson with another eight-point showing against Virginia Tech.

Then on Sunday, it was Townsend who was called upon to provide heroics at the game's end. Carolina had earned possession back with just over 11 seconds to go, needing to go the length of the floor. Banghart, who has repeatedly said that Townsend's speed is what sets her apart, opted to put the ball in her hands to race into the frontcourt and move toward the rim. Townsend did just that, drew a foul and calmly connected on two free throws to eventually win the game. Townsend later said that her moment shooting free throws was the calmest she had felt all day, and her confidence resulted in another impactful moment in her only Tar Heel season.

The sellout crowd of 6,319 matched the largest attendance for a home game in the Banghart era.

For the third straight season, Carolina sold out a home game, with all 6,319 tickets accounted for in the rivalry matchup with NC State. A sea of Carolina blue pushed the team on and providing an extra boost in a hard-fought game. The Head Coach took notice postgame.

"This fanbase, they totally embrace this team," Banghart reflected in her initial postgame comment on the Tar Heel Sports Network.

It would be great to see another large crowd at Carmichael for the regular season finale on Mar. 2 against Virginia. Tickets are available here.

Up Next
Following two games at home, it's a road swing for the Tar Heels, as Carolina ventures out on a pair of ACC trips – its final journeys away from the state of North Carolina this regular season. First, it's the biannual trip to the JMA Wireless (formerly Carrier) Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. to play the Orange. It's been a rollercoaster season for Syracuse, who comes in 4-10 in the ACC, but boasts some talented guard play and recently had a two-game win streak against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Tip for Thursday's game is slated for 6:00 p.m., with our THSN coverage commencing at 5:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call worldwide for free on the Varsity Network app from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app, as well as on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM. Note that WCHL's coverage will begin right at tip time at 6:00 p.m.

Then on Sunday, Carolina heads to the banks of the Ohio River and the KFC Yum! Center to play Louisville. A young Cardinals team that took four non-conference and five total losses by December 15th has come together, and is 12-2 since. With both teams entering the week at three ACC losses, Sunday's game will go a very long way toward determining final seeding for the ACC Tournament, and the all-important double bye for the event. Tip in the game is set for 2:00 p.m., with our Tar Heel Sports Network coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. with the Reeds Jewelers Pregame Show. Catch the call worldwide for free on the Varsity Network app from Learfield, GoHeels.com, or the GoHeels app, as well as on WCHL 97.9 FM/1360 AM.

If you missed it, this week's edition of Holding Court is available now on the Tar Heel Voices Podcast Channel. We'll tape again next Monday, Feb. 24, at Noon at the Sheraton Chapel Hill.

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