North Carolina
NC State
WBB Meets Rival NC State In ACC Tournament Semifinal
March 7, 2025 | Women's Basketball
No. 14/14 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
27-6, 13-5 ACC
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 123-62 (6th season)
Career Record: 377-165 (18th season)
NO. 7/8 NC STATE WOLFPACK
25-5, 16-2 ACC
Head Coach: Wes Moore (Tennessee, 1986)
Record at NC State: 298-93 (12th season)
Career Record: 856-262 (36th season)
TIPPING OFF
• Using all 40 minutes to out-grit Florida State on Friday in the 2025 Ally ACC Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal, North Carolina advances to the semifinal for the first time since 2018.
• The Tar Heels square up against NC State for the second time this season and look to make it three straight against the Wolfpack.
• A win on Saturday would send Carolina to its first ACC title game since 2013.
• Dominant off the glass on Friday, Carolina collected a season-high 53 rebounds against Florida State. Alyssa Ustby led this force by tying her career-high with 18.
CAROLINA AT THE ACC TOURNAMENT
All-time, Carolina is 66-38 in the ACC Tournament and paces all active schools in the league with a total of nine titles.
Under Courtney Banghart, Carolina is 3-5 in the ACC Tournament earning two wins this week.
Advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2014, Carolina is 18-10 all time. The Tar Heels are looking to advance to their 19th ACC Tournament Championship and their first since 2013.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NC STATE
The two triangle teams meet once again and for the second time this season on Saturday. Carolina has bested the Wolfpack in the last two meetings, both in Chapel Hill.
All-time, NC State leads 64-57.
VS. NC STATE IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
Meeting for the 15th time in the ACC Tournament and the first since 2018, North Carolina and NC State remain neck-and-neck in tournament games at 7-7.
The two teams meet in an ACC Tournament semifinal for the first time since 2006. In semifinal games, Carolina is 4-3 with wins in the last four meetings.
LAST TIME OUT
Banding together as a team for all 40 minutes on Friday, Carolina fought back to down No. 23 Florida State 60-56 to advance to the semifinals.
Jumping out the gym with a season-high 53 rebounds as a team, the Tar Heels had four scoring in double-figures to topple the Seminoles for the first time since 2022.
Matching her career-best with 18 rebounds, Alyssa Ustby earned her 10th double-double of the season in adding 12 points. Ustby also adds her name to the top-10 list for most rebounds in an ACC Tournament game.
Earning her second double-figure game of the tournament, Lexi Donarski added 12 points along with knocking down two made threes.
All over the floor, Indya Nivar posted 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
ALL-ACC TAR HEELS
Four Tar Heels came away with ACC accolades on Tuesday, with Alyssa Ustby, Maria Gakeng, Reniya Kelly and Lanie Grant garnering honors.
For the fourth straight season, Alyssa Ustby picked up a spot on either the All-ACC First or Second Team, being named ot the All-ACC First Team for the second time in her career.
Along with a First Team nod, Ustby also was named to the All-Defensive Team after leading the ACC in conference action with 7.64 defensive rebounds per game.
Earning conference accolades for the second time in her career, Maria Gakdeng found herself on the All-ACC Second Team. A force, Gakdeng averaged 12.8 points per game in conference play while shooting 59.9% from the field.
Lighting it up in her second season in Chapel Hill, Reniya Kelly also earned All-ACC Second Team honors. The sophomore made a huge jump, averaging 10.1 points per game while facilitating the UNC offense. An agressive presence on the defensive end, Kelly snagged an average of 1.2 steals per game in ACC play.
One of the youngest players in Divison I basketball at 17, Lanie Grant has shown that she's one to watch with earning a spot on the All-Freshman team. Averaging 8.3 points per game in conference play, Grant tallied 10 games this season in double-figure scoring.
STACKING WINS
Earning its 25th win of the year at Louisville, the Tar Heels tied the most overall wins in the regular 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.
The win over Florida State on Friday moved UNC to 27 on the season, to tie the most since 2013-14.
A victory over NC State would give Carolina 28 wins for the most in a year since 2012-13
MILESTONE TRACKER
LEXI DONARSKI
• 7 assists from 300 career.
• 3 made threes from 350 career.
MARIA GAKDENG
• 2 points from 1300 career.
GRACE TOWNSEND
•11 assists from 650 career.
ALYSSA USTBY
• 17 rebounds from No. 1 in program history.
• 4 assists from 400.
• 9 assists from cracking the top-10 in
program history.
