Play tougher.
Leading up to UNC's top-20 matchup against California, head coach Courtney Banghart gave her team the simple call-to-action.
The Tar Heels didn't play tough enough against Florida State last Sunday, and it cost them in the dwindling seconds. FSU's Ta'Niya Latson drove to the basket and knocked down a buzzer beater to end UNC's five-game winning streak.
“Against Florida State there were too many possessions where we didn’t have quite enough toughness,” Banghart said. “We just really implored that the next step for this program was to be tough enough when the moment calls.”
And on Thursday, the Tar Heels answered.
The No. 15 North Carolina women's basketball team defeated No. 19 California, 65-52, in Haas Pavilion on Thursday night. The Tar Heels hand-delivered Cal’s first home loss of the season.
With the win, UNC is the first team in the ACC to win its opening game in the West Coast swing. North Carolina is also off to its best on-the-road record, 4-0, since the 2011-12 season.
It started on the offensive end. Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly played a key role, scoring 16points.
With 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter, she stopped in her tracks.