North Carolina
28-7,13-5ACC
No. 14 Oregon State
19-16,12-8WCC
WBB Battles Past Oregon State In NCAA First Round
March 22, 2025 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Withstanding a tough first half fight from No. 14 seeded Oregon State, No. 3 seed North Carolina battled past the Beavers in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, 70-49 from Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels advance to the Second Round for the fourth straight season and move ahead to play No. 6 seed West Virginia in the Birmingham 2 Region on Monday.
With its largest NCAA Tournament win of the Courtney Banghart era, North Carolina (28-7, 13-5 ACC) utilized a huge third quarter to send the West Coast Conference Champions in Oregon State (19-15, 12-8 WCC) home.
Posting a game-high 19 points, Lexi Donarski tied a season-high with five made threes to lead the Tar Heels in the victory. Donarski was on fire during the third quarter, knocking down all of her triples in the frame.
Cleaning up off the glass, Alyssa Ustby tallied nine rebounds to pass Bernadette McGlade (1977-80) to become Carolina's all-time leading rebounder with 1,253 career boards. Ustby wrapped her day with 10 points and a team-high four assists.
Getting it done in the paint, Carolina tallied 40 points on the inside with Maria Gakdeng leading the way with 13 points of her own.
Holding its sixth opponent of the season under 50 points, the Tar Heels limited the Oregon State offense by allowing 10 or fewer points in two quarters of action. A defensive force, Indya Nivar tallied three steals as Carolina snagged 10 as a team.
Starting out on a 6-0 run, the Tar Heels limited Oregon State's looks from the field in the opening minutes. Forcing multiple Beaver turnovers in a quick span, Carolina asserted a narrow lead through the first at 15-9, as Gakdeng led the way with seven points.
The Beavers met Carolina at 15 all after three straight buckets, as the two began to trade back-and-forth makes throughout the second quarter. Tied up for a majority of the frame, a last minute jumper from Kelly gave the Tar Heels a narrow edge at 26-24 heading into the break.
As the three-ball began to fall, Donarski opened the second half with two straight as Carolina worked to build up its advantage. The triples continued to drop for Carolina, with Donarski remaining on fire with five in the third quarter alone. Scoring the most points in a quarter in an NCAA Tournament game under Banghart with 30, the Tar Heels ran off to a 56-33 lead going into the fourth.
Despite the Beavers posting a fight with a 7-0 run to begin the quarter, Carolina continued to pound the ball in the paint. With Ustby snagging her ninth rebound of the day, Carmichael erupted as the fifth-year Tar Heel broke the all-time rebounding record at North Carolina. Leading by as many as 25 in the final quarter, the Tar Heels had done enough to ensure its fourth NCAA Tournament victory under Banghart, 70-49.
The Tar Heels face off against West Virginia Monday in the second round with a Sweet 16 berth at stake. Tip off against the Mountaineers from Carmichael Arena is to be determined.
