Mavunga steps up in UNC women's basketball game against NC State

RALEIGH — North Carolina sophomore forward Stephanie Mavunga was irritated.

She was worn out by the double-teams and triple-teams the N.C. State Wolfpack employed on her Thursday — limiting her to only five points through just over 30 minutes of play.

She was stressed by the Wolfpack’s physicality and the ticktack fouls she had been called for.

So with 9:47 remaining in No. 12 UNC’s down-to-the-wire 67-63 victory over N.C. State, the 6-foot-3 forward let go of her pinned up frustration in a moment that motivated her to score six points in the game’s waning minutes.

After being called for her fourth foul of the game on a reach-in, Mavunga threw her hands behind her head in disbelief and turned the opposite direction after the referee pointed at her for being responsible for the offense.

“So much frustration. I feel as if she impeded my movement,” said Mavunga with annoyance still in her voice after the game. “She was coming at me — yes, I understand she has the ball and she’s driving, but at the same time — yes, I slid an arm over. But I don’t necessarily feel like I put that much contact on her.”

With UNC (17-3, 4-2 ACC) and N.C. State (12-7, 3-3) knotted at 41 apiece, Mavunga turned and darted straight toward the bench following the call — where she remained for the next four minutes and 35 seconds brewing over the call and searching for answers to her offensive woes.

As she sat on the bench, UNC slowly fell behind by four points before Mavunga reentered the game with just over five minutes remaining.

While letting go of her frustration on the bench, Mavunga carefully watched her team on offense — trying to find the same holes she capitalized on in the team’s prior matchup with N.C. State on Jan. 4, in which she scored 23 points.

“I’m yelling at my teammates to do this and that and then I’m thinking, ‘Well, how can I yell at someone else to do something I haven’t been doing the whole time?’” she said.

Upon subbing back into the game, Mavunga finally cut loose on the offensive end — going on a personal 6-0 run over nearly two minutes to give UNC a four-point lead with 1:34 left.

The six points by Mavunga proved to be crucial, as the lead she furnished for her team was one it would hold for the remainder of the game.

Coach Sylvia Hatchell said she’s seen the same sort of frustration with Mavunga in practice, but she’s vital to the team.

“When she makes a mistake and we get on her, she gets real upset about it,” Hatchell said. “But she can really come through in the clutch.”

Mavunga finished the game with 11 points after going 4-for-9 from the field.

But despite N.C. State’s effort on the defensive end and ability to get Mavunga in foul trouble, it just wasn’t enough for the UNC forward’s frustration to overcome her and her team.

“She got two fouls early, and I think we took advantage of it,” said N.C. State forward Jennifer Mathurin about the advantage her team held with Mavunga struggling. “We just had to hold on, and we didn’t.”

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