No. 15 UNC women's basketball survives Stanford, 69-67, to sweep California road games

The No. 15 North Carolina women’s basketball team (20-4, 8-3 ACC) escaped Stanford (11-10, 3-7), 69-67, on Sunday afternoon in Maples Pavilion.

Despite a late fourth-quarter surge by the Cardinal, North Carolina’s defensive pressure forced Stanford into scoring droughts and turnovers that led to a plethora of offensive opportunities for the Tar Heels. Graduate forward Alyssa Ustby cashed in for 16 points and a season-high four 3-pointers. North Carolina drained 53 percent of its threes, shooting 9-for-17. 

After a slow start offensively, North Carolina capitalized off of nine Cardinal turnovers and secured eight offensive rebounds in the first half to find its rhythm.

Stanford claimed an early 5-0 lead after UNC missed back-to-back 3-pointers on early possessions.

Graduate forward Alyssa Ustby then found senior center Maria Gakdeng inside for an easy lay-in before kicking it out to junior guard Indya Nivar for the 3-pointer to tie the game, 5-5.

A back-and-forth riddled with turnovers ensued until graduate guard Lexi Donarski found the nylon from the midrange in consecutive possessions. Ustby swished a 3-pointer soon after and UNC led, 16-12.

Graduate guard Grace Townsend capped off an 11-1 run for the Tar Heels, finding success in the paint for two physical layups to put UNC up, 20-12, to end the quarter.

Gakdeng broke through in the second quarter, utilizing her dominant presence inside for three baskets in a row to give UNC an eight point cushion, 30-22, with under five minutes remaining in the half.

A few Cardinal free throws later, Stanford had cut the UNC lead to two with less than a minute to go.

Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly responded with her own 5-0 run to end the half, converting from the midrange and 3-point line to give the Tar Heels a 39-32 lead going into the locker room.

Right out of the gate, Ustby caught fire, scoring five straight points to extend the North Carolina lead to 12, 44-32. 

In the next minute, North Carolina pushed the pace on offense, with two baskets in less than 30 seconds, forcing a Stanford timeout after the lead blossomed to 14.

With under five minutes remaining, Ustby hit her third 3-pointer to claim the largest lead of the game, 53-38.

Each team took turns draining 3-pointers, before Stanford forward Brooke Demetre converted on an and-1 opportunity that narrowed UNC’s lead to 11, 59-48, heading into the fourth quarter.

Both sides traded baskets, until the Cardinal charged for a 9-0 run. Stanford guard Elena Bosgana cashed in for a 3-pointer to cut UNC’s lead to three.

A lengthy scoring drought continued for the Tar Heels, and Stanford forward Kennedy Umeh tallied an and-1 to tie the game, 62-62.

In spite of the momentum shift, Kelly ended the drought, giving North Carolina a five-point lead. But Stanford responded, with guard Nunu Agara scoring five points of her own to make it a two point game, 69-67, with 30 seconds remaining.

Ustby snatched the last defensive rebound to prevent Stanford from tying the game to lead UNC to a 69-67 victory. 

The Tar Heels will head back to the East Coast to face Clemson at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Littlejohn Coliseum.

@alexdjones_

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com