Carolina Fends Off Georgia Tech In Atlanta, 54-46

Thursday, January 22

Atlanta, Ga.

8 PM

North Carolina

16-5,5-3ACC

Georgia Tech

8-12,3-5ACC

North Carolina

Georgia Tech

January 22, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ATLANTA – With its third road contest in a four-game stretch, North Carolina Women's Basketball fended off a pesky Georgia Tech squad and pulled away to earn a 54-46 win from McCamish Pavilion on Thursday night.

North Carolina (16-5, 5-3 ACC) dominated Georgia Tech (8-12, 3-5 ACC) off the glass, with a rebounding margin of +21 to aid in securing the victory in Atlanta. Grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds, Ciera Toomey paced the Tar Heels off the glass and added nine points.

The duo of Lanie Grant and Reniya Kelly paved the way with 11 points each, followed by Elina Aarnisalo with 10. Aarnisalo had an efficient night from the field, shooting 5-of-8 from the floor.

Holding its eighth opponent of the season under 50 points, Indya Nivar spearheaded Carolina's defense with three steals and added five rebounds. Carolina rejected five shots as a team, with Toomey adding three.

Eclipsing the 1,000 career point mark in the third quarter, Nyla Harris scored six points and added eight rebounds.

Early on, Carolina struggled to find its footing on the offensive end, with the three-ball not falling in the opening quarter. Held to a multi-minute scoring drought, Toomey broke it open with two straight layups in hopes of providing a spark. Feeding off Toomey, Aarnisalo added back-to-back buckets to force a tie at 12-12 through one.

As Carolina found success in the paint by ripping off a 10-0 run to start the second quarter, Aarnisalo paced the charge with multiple layups. Limiting the Yellow Jackets to one field goal within the first five minutes of the quarter, the Tar Heels' defense began to show its strength. As Georgia Tech drained the first three of the night, it energized the Yellow Jackets to spur a 7-0 run to even the score with the Tar Heels at 24 all heading into the half.

Trading buckets back and forth, Carolina regained an advantage as Harris eclipsed the 1,000 career-point threshold with a layup in the opening minutes of the third. Getting in a groove, Kelly fed off the energy and knocked down Carolina's first triple of the evening. Both teams fell into a scoring drought until Kelly responded with another three to go ahead by six midway through the third. Holding Georgia Tech scoreless for the final two minutes of the frame, Carolina held a seven-point advantage at 37-30 heading into the fourth.

Working to hold the Yellow Jackets at bay, Carolina fired off multiple triples to maintain a narrow lead. As Georgia Tech came within six at multiple points in the final frame, Aarnisalo continued to create offense for the Tar Heels as she reached 10 points. Refusing to go away quietly, Georgia Tech once again cut the Carolina advantage to six in the final minute. Taking advantage of the charity stripe, Carolina drained five straight free throws in the last 60 seconds to go on and defeat Georgia Tech, 54-46.

Traveling back to Chapel Hill, Carolina returns to the confines of Carmichael Arena to host Syracuse on Sunday afternoon. The Tar Heels and Orange tip at 2 p.m. ET, airing on The CW.

Due to inclement weather, Sunday's National Girls and Women in Sports Day Celebration has been postponed to Feb. 22, prior to Carolina's game against Pitt. For more information, visit GoHeels.com.