No. 12 UNC women's basketball utilizes big lineup to beat No. 10 N.C. State

Graduate forward Alyssa Ustby asked for a substitute after only 2.5 minutes into No. 12 UNC's game against No. 10 N.C. State. 

Graduate guard Grace Townsend entered in place of Ustby, who, after leaving the court on her own accord, jogged to the back of the bench and left with only a slight hobble to the locker room. 

Head coach Courtney Banghart didn't know what happened. No one on the North Carolina bench really noticed. It was only when the Tar Heels became a victim on the glass that Ustby's teammates recognized her absence.

“I was like ‘Wait, why are we not rebounding the ball?’” sophomore guard Reniya Kelly said. “Because Alyssa's not in.”

UNC was without Ustby — who is only 41 boards away from becoming North Carolina’s all-time leading rebounder — for the remainder of the game. Without the clean-up machine, North Carolina was outrebounded by N.C. State by a margin of 20. Nonetheless, UNC prevailed over the Wolfpack, 66-65, in Carmichael Arena on Sunday afternoon in a last-second finish, mostly due to the use of a bigger lineup which made key plays down the stretch. 

Banghart only learned at halftime that Ustby — who she describes as North Carolina's heart and soul — would not be returning to the bench for the rest of the game. 

“Alyssa's been here for five years,” Banghart said. “I don't really play a lot of possessions without Alyssa Ustby.”

And without UNC's leading rebounder, who grabs more than nine boards per game, the Tar Heels faced a daunting challenge on the glass. 

So how did an undermanned and undersized North Carolina squad defeat an N.C. State team that outrebounded UNC 55-35? And grabbed 18 offensive rebounds with 18 second chance points? And ranks second in the ACC in rebounds per game? 

The victory was in part thanks to North Carolina's choice to go with a bigger lineup. 

When junior guard Indya Nivar was assessed her third foul only a minute-and-a-half into the second half, Banghart replaced her with first-year center Blanca Thomas. Senior center Maria Gakdeng was already on the court, so UNC was running a lineup with the 6-foot-3-inch Gakdeng and 6-foot-5-inch Thomas.

During the nearly five-minute stretch with Nivar on the bench, North Carolina was much more competitive on the glass and was only outrebounded by three. The Tar Heels held onto at least a seven-point lead for that duration. 

UNC also looked to implement some high-low action, with Thomas at the top of the key and Gakdeng deep in the paint. 

UNC also went with that larger lineup of Thomas and Gakdeng to close the game. With UNC ahead 66-65, it was Thomas guarding the inbounder and Gakdeng and Kelly on the baseline trap, which ultimately led to a game-deciding Wolfpack turnover. 

UNC also countered State's physicality by aggressively going into the bodies of Wolfpack defenders. N.C. State led the nation in fewest fouls per game at 11.9 per contest but committed 20 through the game on Sunday, tying its season-high for fouls in a game. The Tar Heels shot 16 total free throws. 

“They don't give you points in the paint,” Banghart said. “They don't give you free throws. They just don't.”

Lineups, aggressive play and going without your star player make a difference in the outcome of any given game. But so does grit, which the Tar Heels had when they needed it most.  

“How resilient they are is not something you drop on the board,” Banghart said, later adding, “With a lot going against them, they just kept going.”

@meganosmithh

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