Worst shooting performance of the season dooms UNC women's basketball in ACC tournament semifinals

GREENSBORO — Head coach Courtney Banghart was as blunt as it gets in North Carolina’s post-game press conference after a beatdown to N.C. State.

“[I] have to apologize,” she said. “We just didn't play very well. You can't not play well in March.” 

The sixth-year head coach was not afraid to lay out UNC’s inadequacies throughout the media availability. 

She didn’t sugarcoat it. Banghart owned it. 

And what she owned was North Carolina’s worst shooting performance of the season, which knocked No. 5 seed North Carolina out of the ACC tournament semifinal with a 66-55 loss to top-seeded N.C. State on Saturday afternoon at First Horizon Coliseum. As part of their 27.9 percent shooting woes, the Tar Heels suffered nearly 11 minutes without a made field goal, which propelled the Wolfpack to an insurmountable lead for UNC to overcome. 

“It felt like we wouldn't hit water if we fell off a boat,” Banghart said. 

After taking an early 5-0 lead two and a half minutes into the game, UNC didn’t score another point until 7:33 remained in the second quarter. The Tar Heels missed 12 straight shots over the next 11 minutes. Meanwhile, N.C. State capitalized with a 21-0 scoring run.

North Carolina took shots out of rhythm and settled for mediocre looks.

“We're better when someone leaves the paint and kicks it up, or off a post feed, or open in transition,” graduate guard Lexi Donarski said. “I feel like those weren't the shots that we were getting for that little stretch in there where we were struggling.”

N.C. State also dictated the pace of play and sped up the Tar Heel offense. As a result, UNC took several rushed shots early in possessions.

North Carolina settled down only after first-year guard Lanie Grant drilled a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding, and the Tar Heels focused its attack through bigs in the paint. 

“I took a couple of quick shots that resulted in a track race up and down the court,” Grant said. “So [we just had to be] more strategic with the shots we take, getting the ball to Maria [Gakdeng] and working her in the post. That’s what we ended up doing after we realized, 'Hey, OK, quick shots aren’t working for us right now.'” 

However, the first-half spurt wasn’t UNC’s only shooting drought. 

Junior guard Indya Nivar scored 13 consecutive points for UNC in the fourth quarter, cutting N.C. State’s lead — once as large as 19 — to just 10 with 4:02 remaining in the game. 

But after beginning a comeback, North Carolina failed to convert from the field the rest of the way. The Tar Heels missed all six of their shots down the stretch and spoiled the momentum Nivar had created. 

“We just couldn't quite get over the hump today,” Banghart said. 

Although UNC’s play on Saturday was sub-par, even prompting the head coach to apologize afterward, North Carolina will have to hope its poor shooting display was an isolated event. 

And with 10 days off before the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Tar Heels will have plenty of time to reflect on its ACC tournament shortcomings.

“You get to really look in totality at what your strengths are and ensure that you're staying in rhythm on your strengths. Then look in totality of where your weaknesses are, and how you can hide that on either side of the ball,” Banghart said. Later adding, “Win or lose, you're not defined by one game.”

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