University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
North Carolina Central
WBB Returns to Carmichael, Hosts NC Central for Black Friday Matinee
November 28, 2024 | Women's Basketball
No. 16 North Carolina women's basketball begins its time in paradise taking on Ball State in its opening game at the 2024 Battle4Atlantis on Saturday. UNC is searching for its fourth multi-team event title under head coach Courtney Banghart and its first since 2022. The Tar Heels meet the Cardinals for the first time in program history at 6:30 p.m. ET, streaming on FloHoops.
NO. 16/14 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (6-1, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 102-57 (6th season)
Career Record: 356-160 (18th season)
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL EAGLES (0-8, 0-0 MEAC)
Head Coach: Terrence Baxter (Pfeiffer, 2001)
Record at NC Central: 16-23 (2nd season)
Career Record: 52-44 (4th season)
TIPPING OFF
• Carolina returns home after capturing the 2024 Battle4Atlantis title in the Bahamas, with three straight wins in taking down Ball State, Villanova and Indiana.
• Alyssa Ustby had herself quite the tournament, averaging 11.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game en route to earning Tournament MVP honors.
• Draining a career-high five triples in the title game against Indiana, Trayanna Crisp wrapped her time in Paradise with a UNC-high 15 points against the Hoosiers and earned all-tournament honors.
• The title captured Carolina's fourth MTE trophy in the last six seasons and first since 2022.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NC CENTRAL
The Tar Heels meet the Eagles for the eighth time in program history and the first since 2019.
Carolina holds the overall advantage, 7-0 with an average margin of victory at 43.7 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT
In yet another defensive master-class, Carolina shut down another opponent at the 2024 Battle4Atlantis by defeating Indiana 69-39 to claim the tournament trophy.
The Tar Heels lit it up from beyond the arc, draining a season-best 11 three's to power past the Hoosiers. Tying a career-high with five made three's, Trayanna Crisp tallied 15 points and Indya Nivar added 15 of her own as well.
Snagging double-digit rebounds for the third consecutive game, Alyssa Ustby grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds and dished out five assists.
With the victory, Carolina earned its fourth multi-team event title under Banghart and its first since 2022.
MAKE IT RAIN
Something about Imperial Arena had the Tar Heels feeling hot from three, draining a total of 23 over the weekend.
Trayanna Crisp led Carolina with seven makes from beyond the arc, followed by Lexi Donarski with four.
Overall, the Tar Heels shot a 37.7% clip from deep on the weekend and now have 30 games during the Banghart era with 10 or more made three's.
RE-WRITING HISTORY
Taking no vacation in the Bahamas, Alyssa Ustby put her foot on the gas and notched three straight games with double-figure rebounds. This marked the sixth stretch of her career with three games in-a-row with double-digit boards.
Snagging 38 rebounds at the Battle4Atlantis, Ustby moved up to No. 6 at UNC with a total of 1028 career rebounds. She remains 38 away from cracking the top-five.
Ustby is one of nine in program history to achieve the milestone and one of eight active in Division I basketball with at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Not only did Ustby crack the 1,000 career rebound mark, she eclipsed 1,500 career points and is now 33 points from making her way on the top-25 list at Carolina.
LOCK IT DOWN
The Tar Heels shut down Villanova, limiting the Tar Heels to a mere 36 points and 23.5% from the field in the Battle4Atlantis semifinals.
36 points are the fewest allowed against a power conference team since 2007. The shooting percentage was the lowest since 2022 against South Carolina State.
Following up its performance against the Wildcats, the Tar Heels held yet another opponent under the 40-point mark in keeping the Hoosiers to 39 points.
The feat marked the first time in program history that Carolina has held back-to-back power conference opponents to under 40 points.
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
As two of Carolina's fifth-year players, the duo of Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby feed off one another's successes on the court.
When the pair both score in double-figures, the Tar Heels are 12-3 overall.
SHARE THE ROCK
Rolling deep, the Tar Heels pose multiple scoring threats with eight different players recording double-figure games this season.
Seven games in, six different Tar Heels have led the team in scoring this season.
WATCH OUT! INDY'S BACK
Even though Indya Nivar missed the first three games of the season due to injury, the junior didn't miss a beat coming in against UConn.
With a team-best 15 points, and nine rebounds, Nivar nearly bested her career-high.
Rejecting two shots, Nivar set a new-career best with two blocks against the Huskies.
PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE
North Carolina has proven its defensive prowess in the opening month of the season, forcing 20+ turnovers in five out of its first seven games.
The Tar Heels last accomplished the feat at the start of the 2016 season.
WE'LL SWIPE THAT
The Tar Heels have been aggressive on the defensive end to start the season, powered by Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar.
At N.C. A&T, Kelly snagged a career-best five steals against the Lady Aggies as UNC reached double-digit steals for the third straight game.
UNC's game at N.C. A&T marked the 11th game in the Banghart era with 15 or more steals.
Against Villanova, Nivar tallied a career-best six steals for a Tar Heel season best.
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
Early on, UNC has proven itself as one of the top ball handling teams in the country, ranking No. 23 nationally and No. 5 in the ACC in keeping turnovers to a minimum at 12.7 per game.
NEED A DIME? GRACE'S GOT YOU
Already statistically proven as one of the best facilitators in college basketball, Grace Townsend continues to rack up assists in her first season in Chapel Hill.
The Richmond transfer currently sits at No. 3 nationally in active career assists with a total of 580.
Against UNCW, Townsend tallied eight assists against the Seahawks for a season-best. Throughout her career, Townsend has dished out five or more assists in 60 games.
YOU GET A BUCKET! YOU GET A BUCKET!
The sharing of the ball between the Tar Heels against Charleston Southern led to 11 different players reaching the basket in the season opener.
The feat marked the most scoring in a game for UNC since 11 did in 2021 against James Madison.
A CRISP ADDITION
Coming off the bench in her first game in a Carolina uniform, junior Trayanna Crisp made an immediate splash against Charleston Southern. Finishing as one of three to reach double-figure scoring against CSU with 11 points, Crisp also dished out 3 assists.
For the second year in-a-row, a transfer has scored in double-digits in their Carolina debut, with Crisp joining teammate Indya Nivar who scored 17 points last season against Gardner Webb.
HOME SWEET HOME
The confines of Carmichael Arena are sweet to the Tar Heels, especially during non-conference action.
Under Banghart, UNC is 29-2 in non-conference home games.
NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER
The month of November has proven to be successful for the Tar Heels while under Banghart.
Now during year six in Chapel Hill, UNC is 32-4 during the first month of the season under her tenure.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
A mixture of youth and experience can be found throughout the Tar Heel roster, yet some of the vets on the team have proven their skills on a national level.
The duo of Donarksi and Ustby make them one of the most experienced pairs in the country, ranking in the top-10 in multiple categories among active players in Division I Basketball.
As a sharpshooter, Donarski currently sits at No. 6 in made three's with a total of 284. With 135 career appearances, she also ranks No. 8 in active games played.
A walking double-double, Ustby's 1028 career rebounds have her sixth nationally. Her 40 double-doubles have her tied for seventh nationally among active players.
Newcomer Grace Townsend has proven herself as one of the best dime droppers in the nation, with her total of 580 ranking third overall and leads the ACC.
WHAT'S BACK?
Nine from last year's NCAA Tournament team return to Chapel Hill, including three key starters in Lexi Donarksi, Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby.
The trio accounted for 47.4% of UNC's scoring in 2023-24, and prepare to make even more of an impact as Donarski and Gakdeng enter their second season in a Carolina uniform.
Indya Nivar returns after appearing in all 33 games last season with starting experience and Reniya Kelly boasts 11 starts and 21 appearances prior to missing the remainder of last season due to injury.
STAT BREAKDOWN
Points returning: 63.1%
Three's returning: 63.9%
Rebounds returning: 62.1%
Assists returning: 63.7%
Steals returning: 70.1%
Blocks returning: 72.5%
Ustby is back as the Tar Heels' leader in rebounds, assists and steals from last season.
Around the rim, Gakdeng looks to expand her defensive range as the team's leading shot blocker with 51 rejections last year.
With 283 made career-three's, Donarski drained 74 triples last season for 33.9% from beyond the arc to lead the Tar Heels.
NOT DONE YET
Choosing to utilize their fifth and final season of collegiate eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Donarski and Ustby prep to make their last seasons one to remember.
Donarksi has already eclipsed the 1,500 career-point mark, while Ustby remains just shy.
THE FAB FRESHMEN
Scouring the United States for some of the nation's top talent, Banghart and Co. have brought in three freshman that have the chance to make an immediate impact for Carolina.
Lanie Grant, Blanca Thomas and Jordan Zubich comprise the freshman class with the trio bringing in a plethora of high school and club accolades.
Grant chose to reclassify to the class of 2024 and forgo her final season of high school to join the Tar Heels early. An active member of USA Basketball, Grant was a member of the 2023 U.S. U16 Team that won gold at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship, while averaging 11.2 points throughout the tournament.
A Carolina native, Thomas hopes to provide assistance on the interior and a strong defensive presence. The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year by the Charlotte Observer, Thomas led Charlotte Catholic to back-to-back final four appearances in the state tournament during her sophomore and junior seasons.
Joining Ustby as the second Minnesota native on the team, Zubich is coming off of an electric prep career where she scored over 3,000 career points. A graduate of Mountain Iron-Buhl High School, Zubich was touted as the No. 69 player in the Class of 2024 by ESPN's HoopGurlz.
A FRESH START
Finding a new home in Chapel Hill, transfers Trayanna Crisp and Grace Townsend immediately add a boost at the point guard position in two experienced floor generals.
Following a breakout sophomore season at Arizona State, Crisp chose to leave her native Arizona to don a Carolina uniform. Appearing in 59 games with 35 starts over two seasons with the Sun Devils, Crisp increaed her scoring by over 50% as a sophomore for an average of 12.1 points per game.
Crisp notched a career-high against Washington last year with a total of 23 points against the Huskies, adding to her total of 29 games scoring in double-figures.
Also choosing to leave her home state, Townsend joins UNC following a heralded four-year career at Richmond. As a Spider, Townsend became the first men's or women's basketball player in school history to reach 1,000 career points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds.
The 2024 A-10 All-Conference First Team honoree ended her career in Richmond ranked 14th overall in scoring for the program with 1,244 points.
KEEPING IT 100
With the win over Ball State, head coach Courtney Banghart reached the 100 win plateau at UNC.
Banghart recently reached the 350 career-win mark in UNC's NCAA Tournament win against Michigan State last season.
LETTING LYSS SHINE
A consistent presence for the Tar Heels the past four seasons, Alyssa Ustby's dedication to the game and the program can be seen in her performance on the court as she averaged a double-double in ACC action last season with 12.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
Heading into her final season, Ustby's skills are well known throughout women's basketball as she has added to her list of honors this preseason.
After being named Second-team All-ACC last year, Ustby earned Preseason All-ACC honors to kick off the 2024-25 campaign.
For the fourth consecutive season, Ustby was tabbed to the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watchlist as one of the country's top small forwards. She was also named to the Naismith Award Preseason Watchlist as one of the top players in women's basketball.
OH MY MARIA!
Posting a stellar first season as a Tar Heel, Maria Gakdeng averaged 6.4 points per game while shooting 62.6% from the field in 2023-24.
The senior's efforts were once again recognized as one of the best centers in the nation, as Gakdeng was named to the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List for the second season in-a-row.
Gakdeng also proves to be a fearless rim protector, on the verge of reaching the 200 career block mark at 182.
PRESSURE IS A PRIVILEGE
At Carolina, winning is a tradition and the pressure to be one of the best remains high. The Tar Heels open the season selected to finish sixth overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference after finishing in the top half of the conference the past four seasons.
MILESTONE TRACKER
LEXI DONARSKI
• 16 made three's away from 300 career.
MARIA GAKDENG
• 16 points away from 1,000 career.
• 16 blocks away from 200 career.
• 13 assists away from 100 career.
INDYA NIVAR
• 12 assists from 100 career.
GRACE TOWNSEND
• 237 points away from 1,500 career.
• 20 assists away from 600 career.
ALYSSA USTBY
• 1 block from cracking the top-10 in UNC history.
• 38 rebounds from top-five in school history.
WHAT'S NEXT?
A ranked Kentucky squad awaits in the 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge from Chapel Hill, next Thursday (Dec. 5) at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN2
