Lanie Grant's career day aids UNC women's basketball in road win over Louisville

Lanie Grant should be a high school senior. She should be graduating in May. 

Instead, the first-year guard is playing on the UNC women's basketball team. She's leading the Tar Heels when they need it the most. 

Against Louisville with just over two minutes left on the clock and North Carolina down by three, Grant demanded the ball beyond the arc. She didn't think. She just shot. 

Grant drained it, drawing a foul. She smacked the floor as UNC's bench erupted. After sinking the free throw, the Tar Heels took the lead for the first time all game. 72-71. 

“I've been told a lot recently that when I'm open, I have to shoot it,” Grant said. “And I found myself open quite a bit this game, so I shot it.”

The 17-year-old's three was one of the most pivotal in the double-digit comeback effort. Now-ranked No. 8 UNC defeated Louisville, 79-75, at the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Tar Heels earned their first on-the-road victory against the Cardinals thanks to Grant's career-high 19 points. 

Since she reclassified and arrived on campus, Grant has established herself as a hard worker and competitor. 

“She goes hard on and off the court,” sophomore guard Reniya Kelly said during the preseason. “She's very determined [and] ambitious. She knows what she wants, and for her to come early, that’s just a big step for her.” 

Adjusting has been challenging for Grant, especially with shooting from the 3-point line. In the last four games, Grant has attempted 11 threes but only made one. She scored only two points in UNC's last game against Syracuse.

With her confidence shaken, Grant asked head coach Courtney Banghart for advice. 

Banghart's message was simple.

“That’s just not the Lanie I recognize,” Banghart said. “So let's just be the Lanie I recognize.” 

With 53 seconds left in the first quarter, redshirt first-year Laila Hull set her screen for Grant. With space, she let the ball fly. 

The shots just kept falling. Each time the Cardinals lost track of Grant, she’d make them pay for it. Grant went 3-for-4 from three while going 5-of-9 from the field. She hit all of her six free throw attempts. With Grant firing on all cylinders, UNC shot 45.5 percent from three. 

“Tons of confidence has been poured into me from not only coach but my teammates,” Grant said. “They always have my back.” 

And it all comes back to that conversation with Banghart and the trust the young guard has built with her teammates. The Tar Heels are now the only team in the nation that hasn't lost on the road. 

“That's what's so special about this team, is we don't roll over and die," Grant said. "We just keep fighting.” 

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