No. 5 seed UNC women's basketball falls to top-seeded N.C. State, 66-55, in ACC tournament semifinal

GREENSBORO — Due to poor shooting and care of the ball, No. 5 seed North Carolina (27-7, 13-5 ACC) fell to top-seeded N.C. State (26-5, 16-2 ACC), 66-55, in the semifinals of the ACC women's basketball tournament in Greensboro at the First Horizon Coliseum.  

UNC faced a difficult first quarter, scoring only five points on 2-11 shooting, but showed signs of life in the next frame to bring the halftime deficit to only seven. Junior guard Indya Nivar went on a tear in the fourth quarter for 13 points, but a comeback remained just too far out of reach for North Carolina.

“I didn’t coach very well,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Our players didn’t play very well. That’s just an honest statement.”

From the tipoff, it was a battle of the bigs. Senior center Maria Gakdeng put UNC on the board with a layup and kicked out the ball on the next possession for an Alyssa Ustby 3-pointer.

And those were the only two buckets for North Carolina in the first quarter. State went on a 16-0 run, kickstarted by center Tilda Trygger who had the first eight. UNC went scoreless for nearly eight-and-a-half minutes and recorded seven turnovers in the opening frame.

N.C. State took a large lead early, 16-5.

First-year guard Lanie Grant finally provided an answer for UNC with a make from beyond the arc. North Carolina went without a basket for nearly 11 minutes, missing 12 straight shots. 

“I think we had a little stretch in the first half that we were taking a little bit too quick a shots for how contested they were,” graduate guard Lexi Donarski said. 

It seemed like the Wolfpack were getting everything they wanted. But the Tar Heels began to find their rhythm midway through the second quarter with a UNC minority crowd behind them and closed the frame with a 16-5 run. 

North Carolina got a boost from the free throw line, going 7-8 on foul shots in the second quarter. The UNC resurgence was highlighted by a pair of and-1 plays by graduate guards Lexi Donarski and Grace Townsend. 

The game was back within reach for UNC as the Wolfpack led, 33-26. State led by as many as 17 in the second quarter.

The second half opened with a plethora of whistles. N.C. State’s Aziaha James — who averages 18 points per contest — became the first player in double-digit scoring. After North Carolina brought the deficit to only seven to close the half, the Wolfpack increased its advantage to 14 at the 5:53 mark.

UNC reached five fouls after six minutes of play, putting the Wolfpack at the line for the remainder of the quarter. 

James led the way for State, collecting 10 of her total 19 points in the third quarter. 

The strong Wolfpack fan presence started to feel the game’s end with Trayanna Crisp’s airball 3-pointer on North Carolina’s last possession of the third quarter. 

The Wolfpack went into the final frame holding a dominant 54-37 edge. State also led 34-27 on the glass. 

After starting 0-6 from the field, Nivar earned her first basket of the game on an and-1 play, but UNC still trailed by 16 by the State timeout at 6:26.

Nivar scored the next three buckets for North Carolina on consecutive possessions, leading a 7-2 run for the Tar Heels by her lonesome efforts. 

UNC began to ride with what was working. The Tar Heels cleared out the floor for the junior guard and she was fouled on her way up to the basket on back-to-back plays, leading to three made free throws and 15 straight points for Nivar. 

She single-handedly lowered the North Carolina deficit to 10 points with four minutes left in the game — the lowest lead for State since the 7:23 mark in the third quarter.

But North Carolina just couldn’t string together enough valuable possessions to pull off the upset. Although UNC outscored the Wolfpack, 18-12, in the fourth quarter led by 13 from Nivar, it wasn’t enough. North Carolina only led for the first 2:47, and never again.

“I knew we were the better team,” Nivar said, “but it just didn’t show it tonight.”

UNC shot a combined 28 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point territory against a tough Wolfpack defensive front. 

“None of our guys, myself included, we just weren’t good enough today,” Banghart said. “So we regroup, and have another chance.”

UNC will await its seeding in the NCAA tournament in Selection Sunday on March 16 at 8 p.m. The first round of March Madness games is slated to begin on March 21. 

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