No. 19 UNC women's basketball handles Norfolk State, 90-47, in final non-conference game

No. 19 North Carolina women’s basketball (12-2) dominated Norfolk State (11-4), 90-47, on Saturday afternoon in Carmichael Arena.

North Carolina carried over momentum from its 20-point win against Florida into its last non-conference matchup of the season – stifling Norfolk State on the defensive end and and firing off 45 percent from 3-point land. With this win, the Tar Heels total 12 non-conference wins for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

“I think in these types of games, given the score was what it was, I think we were able to focus on playing with one another, getting each other the best shot – even when they went zone – making the adjustment,” graduate guard Grace Townsend said.

After each side traded baskets to begin the game, graduate forward Alyssa Ustby faked a move inside and dished off a quick pass to graduate guard Lexi Donarski, who drained the first 3-pointer of the game to put North Carolina up 5-2.

North Carolina dominated the quarter defensively, holding the Spartans to zero field goals for over seven minutes.

Ustby converted on a turnaround jumper to put UNC up 7-4, kicking off a 10-0 run for the Tar Heels. An and-1 layup through contact for senior center Maria Gakdeng and an explosive floater by Utsby extended UNC’s lead to double digits, 15-4. 

Out of a media timeout, Donarski drained her 300th career 3-pointer to put the Tar Heels up 20-14 with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Junior guard Trayanna Crisp found first-year guard Lanie Grant wide open in the corner off an inbound pass with 16 seconds remaining in the quarter. Grant’s 3-pointer gave the Tar Heels a 29-8 lead to end the first ten minutes of play.

North Carolina held the Spartans to no field goals for the last eight minutes of the quarter.

With 16 seconds remaining in the quarter, Crisp found first-year guard Lanie Grant wide open in the corner off the inbound pass. Grant drained the corner three – and the Tar Heels claimed a 29-8 lead to end the first ten minutes of play.

After starting the quarter off slow, the Tar Heels tore off on another run. Gakdeng spun inside for the lay-in on the offensive end – then graduate guard Grace Townsend swiped the ball from sophomore guard Anajanae Richardson, launching a cross court pass to Ustby – who converted on the transition basket. UNC led, 35-10.

Another bout of offensive struggle ensued, before Ustby converted off of a Donarski miss to get the Tar Heels back on track with four minutes remaining.

Back-to-back turnovers by the Spartans resulted in a banked-in floater by Grant and a 3-pointer by Crisp – giving the Tar Heels a 29-point lead with two minutes to go.

A minute later, sophomore guard Anjanae Richardson drained NSU’s first 3-pointer of the matchup. Redshirt first-year forward Ciera Toomey fought for the offensive rebound off of consecutive misses and drove into contact for the lay-in.

First-year guard Laila Hull drained a 3-pointer just short of the buzzer to put the Tar Heels up 49-19 going into the half.

Out of the half, neither team was able to find an offensive rhythm up until about five minutes in. Right before the shot clock hit zero, Ustby found Townsend open in the left corner for a 3-pointer to put UNC up 61-19.

Despite a sluggish third quarter offensively, UNC held NSU to five points on 17% shooting. Gakdeng’s five rebounds in the quarter prevented the Spartans from converting on second chance opportunities.

“I think it’s a testament to this team – we take pride in our defense,” Townsend said. “Even if our shots aren’t going in, we try to get stops every possession.”

With two minutes remaining in the quarter, NSU junior guard Stephanie Mosley and Grant took turns converting from the 3-point line. First-year center Blanca Thomas drained two free throws to give UNC a 68-24 lead to end the third.

North Carolina started the fourth quarter off hot offensively. Grant and Townsend drained back-to-back 3-pointers to give North Carolina a 74-27 lead with six minutes remaining.

NSU graduate guard Diamond Johnson recorded 12 points in the fourth quarter. Despite her final efforts, UNC built a 50-point lead after Hull and Toomey hit back-to-back 3-pointers with about four minutes remaining.

North Carolina defeated Norfolk State, 90-47, closing out their non-conference season with two consecutive wins.

“It’s exactly what we wanted to do,” Grant said. “We wanted to go out on a good win, just come back with some momentum and we did that – and we’re going to keep capitalizing.”

The Tar Heels will head to Coral Gables to take on Miami for their second conference matchup of the season on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Watsco Center.

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