Balanced attack propels UNC to 1,000th win in program history on Sunday

While every win is important, UNC's 89-33 over Charlotte on Sunday was especially meaningful to the Tar Heels as they earned the program’s 1000th win in its 47-year history. 

This victory made North Carolina the 18th NCAA Division I program to reach 1,000 wins and the second within current ACC programs. 

“It would be remiss not to say how proud I am to be a part of a legacy that just won it’s thousandth win,” head coach Courtney Banghart said after the game. “I knew when I took this job, I was taking over an opportunity to be in charge of one of the great traditions in women’s basketball."

The win against the 49ers shows growth within North Carolina’s program. When the teams faced each other a year ago, the Tar Heels struggled to come out on top in Carmichael Arena. They defeated Charlotte in the 2020-2021 season with just a six-point lead. 

Banghart credits the stark difference in score to a different team dynamic and the improvement of several players who were key contributors to the win.

“The team is really different than last year," Banghart said. "I think the biggest difference is how connected they are. It’s a team that really celebrates one another and individually really understands their value.”

The Tar Heels started the game off solid. Within a minute of the start, sophomore guard Alyssa Ustbyscored the first points of the game with a jump shot. Sophomore forward Anya Poole followed that by shooting two more jump shots to put the score at 6-0 before even half of the first quarter had passed.

North Carolina wouldn’t slow down for the remainder of the period, and by the end of the quarter they were leading the game 27-3.

The second and third quarters were less eventful for the Tar Heels, but they still never lost the lead. North Carolina scored 19 points in the second period and 14 in the third, while the 49ers scored eight points in the second and 11 in the third as they tried to catch up.

In the final quarter of the game, things picked back up for North Carolina as they scored 29 points, creating the biggest score margin of the entire game. Despite the 49ers scoring 11 points, the Tar Heels’ lead continued to expand as they solidified the win.

Ustby led North Carolina with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. She also got her third double-double as a Tar Heel and first of her sophomore season. Poole earned a career-high 17 points for the team to go along with nine rebounds and three blocks. 

“I always look for my teammates first before I look for myself,” Poole said. “So once I got it pounding into me, ‘Anya you need to score,” that gave me confidence in doing what I know how to do: shoot, make my layups and do what I’ve got to do.”

While players like Ustby and Poole earned game and career bests, the win against Charlotte was a team effort as all 11 players that saw action were able to put points on the scoreboard. 

“Tonight was just an example of us playing together,” Ustby said. “We were playing cohesively on offense and defense and it was just a great win.”

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