University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Virginia
Women's Basketball Wraps Regular Season Sunday, Hosting Virginia
March 1, 2025 | Women's Basketball
No. 8/9 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
25-5, 13-4 ACC
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 121-61 (6th season)
Career Record: 375-164 (18th season)
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS
15-14, 7-10 ACC
Head Coach: Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (Hofstra, 2005)
Record at Virginia: 46-45 (5th season)
Career Record: 120-60 (6th season)
TIPPING OFF
• Carolina returns to Chapel Hill for its final game of the regular season, facing off against Virginia from Carmichael Arena for Senior Day on Sunday.
• Five Tar Heels will be honored postgame, as Carolina recognizes Lexi Donarski, Maria Gakdeng, Kayla McPherson, Grace Townsend and Alyssa Ustby following the game.
• There's nothing about Lanie Grant's game that would make you know she's one of the youngest in Division I basketball at 17-years-old. Over the past two games, Grant continues to find her footing by averaging 18.0 points per game.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
Sitting at 15-14 overall, Virginia rides a two game-win streak with victories over Stanford and at SMU.
With one of the top guards in the ACC, Kymora Johnson ranks No. 2 in the league with an average of 5.7 assists per game.
Latasha Lattimore protects the Cavaliers around the rim, as a team ranking ninth nationally with 5.6 rejections per game. Lattimore has tallied 10 double-doubles this season to rank fifth in the ACC.
SERIES HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA
Carolina holds a decisive margin in the series against Virginia, leading 59-35 all-time.
When in Chapel Hill, UNC leads 28-12 and has won its last 16 straight at home over UVA.
LAST TIME OUT
Missing two of its starters, Carolina faced a tough test at No. 16 Duke and battled back-and-forth with the Blue Devils yet came up short, 68-53.
Lanie Grant continues to shine, scoring 17 points to lead the Tar Heels. Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar joined Grant in double-figure scoring with 10-points a-piece.
Despite holding a narrow 32-31 lead at the half, Duke utilized a big third quarter en route to toppling the Tar Heels.
STACKING WINS
Earning its 25th win of the year on Sunday, the Tar Heels have tied the most overall wins in a season in the Courtney Banghart era.
Carolina now boasts eight 25-win regular seasons.
The victory over Louisville gave Carolina its most wins in a regular season since the 2012-13 Tar Heels notched 26.
26 wins would tie for the second most in the regular season in UNC history.
A win on Sunday would give the Tar Heels 14 ACC wins for the most since the 2012-13 season.
COMEBACK KIDS
Facing a 12-point deficit in the second quarter and trailing by six at the half, Carolina clawed its way back to come from behind for its 13th ACC win this season at Louisville.
Coming back by 12 is the largest deficit any Tar Heel team has overcome since a 13 point comeback win against Vermont in November of 2023.
Down through three quarters, the Tar Heels earned their lone win this season when trailing after 30 minutes and their first to comeback and win after the third since at Notre Dame in January of 2024.
CONSULT YOUR CARDIOLOGIST
The Tar Heels continue to give their fans near heart attacks with multiple tight games this season.
Carolina is 3-1 in games decided by 5-9 points and 4-1 when decided by 1-4 points.
THE NEXT
Scoring a career-high 19 points in the win at Louisville, freshman Lanie Grant continues to rise with her ninth game of the season in double-figure scoring.
Grant's 19 points were the most by a Tar Heel freshman since Reniya Kelly scored 20 against Virginia last season.
HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Lighting it up at the right time, Carolina shot a half season high of 68% in the second half at Louisville to assist in its comeback win over the Cardinals.
In the fourth quarter, Carolina shot 80% from the field off of 8-of-10 shooting for its season quarter high.
THAT'S OUR PG1
Recording back-to-back 20-point performances for the first time by a Tar Heel this season, Reniya Kelly is hitting her stride in her second season in Chapel Hill.
Tying her then career-high with 20 points against Virginia Tech and following that up with 23 points against NC State, Kelly was then named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week.
Kelly picked up conference accolades for the first time in her career, becoming the fourth player under Banghart to earn the distinction and the first since 2022.
KEEP ON CLIMBING
In the latest edition of the AP Poll, Carolina came in at No. 8 for its highest ranking of the season.
The No. 8 slot is the highest for the Tar Heels since the 12/19 edition of the poll in 2022 where Carolina came in ranked No. 6.
Carolina was last ranked in the top-10 of the AP Poll at this point of the season at No. 10 on 2/16/09.
ROAD WARRIORS
Moving to 9-0 in true road games with the victory at Louisville, the Tar Heels got off to their best start on the road since the 2005-06 season. Carolina has now won its first nine true road games for the second time in program history.
Sitting at 8-0 on the road in ACC marked Carolina's best start within the conference in program history.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Under Banghart, the Tar Heels are 20-28 overall against AP Top-25 teams.
This season the Tar Heels are 4-4 against ranked foes, previously taking on then No. 2 UConn, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 25 Georgia Tech, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 14 Duke, No. 19 California and No. 10 NC State.
LYSS KEEPS ON CLIMBING
Each game, Alyssa Ustby keeps inching closer and closer to numerous marks in the Carolina history books.
She currently ranks No. 16 in career points at Carolina with a total of 1,722. Ustby needs three points to eclipse the top-15 threshold.
In double-figures off the glass against Virginia Tech, Ustby crossed the 1,200 career rebound mark and passed Charlotte Smith (1992-95) to move into No. 2 at UNC with 1,210 rebounds.
Ustby is 41 away from becoming the all-time rebounding queen at Carolina, on the brink of passing Bernadette McGlade (1977-80) who accumulated 1,251 boards as a Tar Heel.
10-WIN ACC SEASONS
By defeating Virginia Tech, Carolina reached the 10-win mark in ACC action for the fourth straight season. The Tar Heels have now registered 25 seasons with double-digit conference wins.
The win over Virginia Tech gave Carolina its longest streak in 10+ ACC win seasons since 2002-09 when Carolina met the mark for seven consecutive seasons.
BAY AREA BEASTS
Doing what no other ACC men's or women's basketball team had yet done, with two wins in the Bay Area, the Tar Heels became the first team in the conference to win both games out West.
In the new iteration of the conference, teams have struggled in crossing time zones yet Carolina prevailed despite the circumstances.
NO I IN TEAM
Coming away with back-to-back wins in the Bay Area, the Tar Heels found themselves garnering acclaim from across the country.
The Tar Heels were named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Team of the Week.
Carolina also became the first ACC team to reach 20-wins and became the fastest Tar Heel team to reach the mark since the 2012-13 season.
TAR HEEL TERRITORY
By securing the 13-point victory over the then No. 19 ranked Golden Bears, Carolina has now earned a ranked win on the road in each of the last four seasons.
The margin of victory marks the largest ranked road win in the Courtney Banghart era and ties for the largest in program history since 2019 at No. 7 NC State.
ON POINT AND ON TARGET
Shooting at a 61.1% clip from the field this season, Maria Gakdeng is one of the most dominant presences throughout the ACC on the court and is extremely efficient in the paint.
Throughout her career, Gakdeng is shooting 59.8% from the field and has the chance to end her career in the top-five in ACC history.
A HELPING HAND
Dropping 20 assists total as a team against Florida State, the Tar Heels notched their most against an ACC opponent to date this season.
Led by Grace Townsend with six helpers, Carolina earned its third 20+ assist game of the season and the sixth in ACC action under Courtney Banghart.
THE BEST KIND OF HEIST
It's no secret that Carolina's defense can limit its opponents, yet the Tar Heels have been taking what's theirs in the three game stretch against SMU, Pitt and Wake Forest with 10+ steals in each.
This defense is doing what few other Carolina teams have done, earning 10+ steals in three straight ACC games for the first time since the 2015 Tar Heels did so in six consecutive games.
Indya Nivar has been leading this charge, averaging 1.9 swipes per outing.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Shutting down Wake Forest off the glass, Carolina limited the Demon Deacons to only 20 rebounds in the outing.
It marks the fewest rebounds allowed in a single-game since only giving up 18 boards in 2021 against UNC Asheville and the fewest against an ACC opponent in the Banghart era.
ALL THINGS CLICKING
With the win over Wake Forest, Carolina cemented its best start in the Courtney Banghart era with 18 wins through 21 games.
It also marked the best start since the Tar Heels began the 2012-13 season at 19-2.
The Tar Heels have also earned 12 wins by 20+ points this season, the second most in the Banghart era. The 2021-22 Carolina squad defeated 13 opponents by a 20+ margin.
WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT
Heating up from beyond the arc, Carolina felt the energy throughout the team from beyond the arc with six Tar Heels combining for an ACC game-high 13 three's against Pitt.
The 13 made triples for the Tar Heels tied the most in an ACC game since draining 14 in 2019 against Georgia Tech.
Lexi Donarski felt it all week, draining a team-high five triples for the first time in her career making five or more three's in back-to-back games.
Donarski followed this up with five threes against Wake Forest to extend her streak to three consecutive game with five made triples.
This season, Carolina has drained 10 or more triples in eight games this year for the most in a single-season in the Banghart era.
JUMPED OUT THE GYM
As a team against SMU, Carolina grabbed a total of 52 rebounds for the second most in a single-game this season and the most since an ACC squad since facing off against Duke in 2022.
The feat was the seventh time a Banghart team had collected 50 or more rebounds against an ACC team.
Alyssa Ustby led the charge, tying her career-high with a total of 18 boards. Her performance was the most rebounds in a single-game by any ACC player this season.
Crushing Clemson off the glass, the Tar Heels snagged 42 rebounds to the Tigers 25 for a margin of +17 for the best against an ACC team this season.
MAKE IT COUNT
Any win in the ACC is crucial to a team's NCAA Tournament chances and Carolina made a statement in its victory over SMU.
The 31-point victory over the Mustangs was UNC's third ACC win by 30 plus points in the Courtney Banghart era.
This season when facing off against unranked opponents, Carolina is 21-1.
LOCK 'EM UP
Carolina limited SMU to very few good looks from the field, shutting down the Mustangs to a field goal percentage of 19.4%.
The defensive mark is the best against an ACC foe in the Courtney Banghart era.
WE'VE GOT A NEW TAR HEEL!
Enrolling early at UNC to join the Tar Heels for the spring semester, Taissa Queiroz will join the fold and practice with the team for the remainder of the season.
A four-star prospect by ESPN, a native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil prepped in the Bay Area before signing with the Tar Heels.
The 6-1 guard was named the San Francisco Chronicle Co-North Bay Player of the Year and was ranked a Top-Five Player on the West Coast by Preps-Bay Area.
KEYS TO A DUB
When it comes to the Tar Heels earning a win, 19 of their 25 wins have had multiple correlations.
Carolina's defense must get it done, holding all victories but three under 60 points or less and provide a little breathing room with all wins but five by 10 points or more.
DEFENSE IN OUR DNA
Carolina's defense has been one of the strongest in the country this season, ranking in the top-25 in multiple statistical categories.
The Tar Heels currently lead in the ACC and sit 16th nationally in holding its opponents to a 36.0% clip from the field.
In holding five of of its opponents this season under 40 points, UNC ranks 36th in Division I basketball in scoring defense and once again leads the ACC by keeping its opponents to an average of 56.8 points per game.
BOUNCE BACK
Under Banghart, the Tar Heels are now 32-23 in their next game when coming off of a loss.
SHINING BRIGHT UNDER THE LIGHTS
The Tar Heels proved that they can handle the spotlight in its win over No. 14 Kentucky and sure made a statement of it.
The 19-point win over the Wildcats was the largest win against any AP Top-25 opponent since 2020 and its largest win over a top-15 ranked opponent since 2011.
In Carmichael Arena, the Tar Heels are 12-7 against ranked opponents under Banghart.
RUNNING DEEP
The 2024-25 Tar Heel roster is full of talent, as Banghart can go deep in the roster in any game situation.
This season, UNC's bench has outscored 25 out of of its 30 opponents and averages 22.8 points per game from its reserves.
Seven Tar Heels currently average 5.0 points per game or higher.
BROUGHT THE FIREWORKS
The Tar Heels put on a memorable offensive performance against N.C. Central, recording a Banghart era high 119 points for the third most in program history.
Six Tar Heels scored in double-figures, with Alyssa Ustby leading the way with a season-high 24 points.
Carolina dished out a Banghart era best 28 assists, the most in a single-game in the past 20 seasons.
119 points tied Florida State in the most scored by an ACC team in a single-game this season.
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
As two of Carolina's fifth-year players, the duo of Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby feed off one another's successes on the court.
When the pair both score in double-figures, the Tar Heels are 16-5 overall.
LET IT FLY LEX!
As one of the nation's best active three-point shooters, as she averages 2.20 triples per game to rank 9th among players in the ACC.
Overall, Donarski sits at No. 6 among active career leaders with 336 threes made.
WE'LL SWIPE THAT
The Tar Heels have been aggressive on the defensive end this season, powered by Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar.
The Tar Heels have swiped 10 or more steals in 10 out of 30 games this season.
At Pitt, Nivar tallied a career-high seven steals for the most in a single-game in the Banghart era and the most by any player in an ACC game this season.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
A mixture of youth and experience can be found throughout the Tar Heel roster, yet some of the vets on the team have proven their skills on a national level.
The duo of Donarksi and Ustby make them one of the most experienced pairs in the country, ranking in the top-10 in multiple categories among active players in Division I Basketball.
As a sharpshooter, Donarski currently sits at No. 6 in made three's with a total of 336. With 156 career appearances, she also ranks No. 6 in active games played.
A walking double-double, Ustby's 1211 career rebounds have her fifth nationally. Her 47 double-doubles have her seventh nationally among active players.
MILESTONE TRACKER
LEXI DONARSKI
• 11 assists from 300 career.
• 2 points away from 1900 career.
• 2 steals away from single-season best.
ALYSSA USTBY
• 41 rebounds from No. 1 in program history.
• 4 points from cracking the top-15 in scoring at UNC.
• 10 assists from 400.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Carolina awaits its fate for its seeding and opponent for the 2025 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament in Greensboro.
Action from First Horizon Coliseum runs from March 5-9.
