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No. 13 UNC women's basketball unable to respond to Florida State's high-powered offense

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UNC sophomore guard Reniya Kelly (10) plays offense during close game against FSU at Carmichael Arena on Jan 26, 2025. The Tar Heels fell short during the final seconds of the game: 86-84.

Eighty-four points should have been enough.

In every other game UNC has played this season, it would have been. 

But it wasn't enough in a close game against Florida State. 

No. 13 North Carolina fell, 86-84, to the Seminoles on Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena. Despite five Tar Heels reaching double figures, the game came down to the last second of the fourth quarter. On FSU's final possession, guard Ta'Niya Latson knocked down a buzzer beater to seal the game. 

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UNC graduate-student guard/forward Alyssa Ustby (1) goes for a pass during the women’s basketball game against Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 at Carmichael Arena.

“We just had good flows and bad flows of offense and we were just trying to hang onto those good flows as long as possible,” graduate guard Alyssa Ustby said. 

Against the No. 1 offensive team in the ACC, which averages 91.7 points per game, the Tar Heels went cold in the moments before the last seconds of the game. 

With five minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, first-year guard Lanie Grant hit a 3-pointer to put UNC up five, tying the team's largest lead of the game. 

But for the next three minutes and 12 seconds, the Tar Heels didn’t score, despite their four offensive possessions. 

On the first possession, first-year center Blanca Thomas missed a layup. Ustby grabbed the offensive rebound, but graduate guard Lexi Donarski’s 3-point try was no good. 

Then another missed layup. A missed jumper and a turnover. Another missed jumper

Finally, senior center Maria Gakdeng went to the line. She missed her first free throw. She made the next one. UNC was down by one.

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UNC first-year Maria Gakdeng (5) defends against Florida State during UNC women's basketball game on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. UNC lost 86-84.

The team didn’t make a field goal for another two minutes. With 18 seconds on the clock, Gakdeng again gave the Tar Heels a lead with a layup. 

Junior guard Indya Nivar wasn't in the lineup for almost the entire fourth quarter after starting the game. In her 15 minutes, she managed only four points. She averages 8.4 points per game and acts as much-needed spark for the Tar Heels.

Without her offense, North Carolina relied on bench players like Thomas and graduate guard Grace Townsend, who combined went 2-12 from the field and were held scoreless during the drought.

“I know that we have to convert [layups] better,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Blanca is a freshman so it's hard to. I thought she gave us really good minutes. I know Indya has been so big for us and just couldn’t find her touch today at all. And those two things really hurt us."

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UNC sophomore guard Reniya Kelly (10) catches the ball midair during the women’s basketball game against Florida State on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 at Carmichael Arena. UNC lost 86-84.

Banghart said the team's inability to capitalize on second-chance opportunities worsened North Carolina's offensive woes late in the game. The Tar Heels grabbed five offensive rebounds in the second half, but they recorded only five second-chance points to Florida State’s 11. 

Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly made a layup with four seconds left to tie the game 84-84. On the next possession, Latson drove to the basket as FSU had been doing all game.

Ustby knows the outcome would have been different if the Tar Heels made the necessary changes. 

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“We definitely could have tightened up some things throughout the game and made those in-game adjustments like [coach] said, to not even get ourselves in that position in the first place," Ustby said. 

@BeckettBrant

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com