University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
#3 UCLA
Women's Basketball Heads West, Challenges No. 3 UCLA In Las Vegas
November 12, 2025 | Women's Basketball
NO. 11/8 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 127-64 (7th season)
Career Record: 381-167 (19th season)
No. 3/3 UCLA BRUINS (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Cori Close (UCSB, 1993)
Record at UCLA: 324-143
Career Record: Same
TIPPING OFF
• Heading west, Carolina faces its biggest test ahead with two games at the WBCA Challenge on Nov. 13 and 15. First up, No. 3 UCLA in the first meeting between the storied programs since 2018.
• Humming on offense through two games, five Tar Heels posted double figures in each win over NC Central and Elon. Freshman Nyla Brooks is shining, posting 15 and then 10 points in the opening week.
• Cleaning the glass, Ciera Toomey snagged double-figure rebounds in both games last week. Against Elon, she grabbed a career-high 12.
• The defensive presence from Indya Nivar is unmatched, with the senior picking up four and six steals in her first two games of the season.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
Coming off its first Final Four run in program history, the Bruins return a key core from last year's team. Led by All-America Lauren Betts, the Bruins head into Thursday's game at 3-0 following a top-10 win over No. 6 Oklahoma on Monday.
The Bruins were selected to win the Big Ten once again, with Betts named the conference Preseason Player of the Year.
Through three games, UCLA stands as one of the nation's best rebounding teams. Currently, the Bruins average 50.33 boards per game to rank No. 22 overall and 35.3 defense rebounds to rank No. 12.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UCLA
Meeting for the 11th time overall, Carolina and UCLA square off for the first time since 2018. The Tar Heels boast a 6-4 advantage in the series, yet both teams have each earned a win on a neutral site court.
The schools last met in 2018 at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Carolina ran away with a 83-49 victory over the Bruins.
LAST TIME OUT
Shaking off a slow start against Elon, Carolina shot 47% from the field in the second half to run off with a 71-37 win on Thursday night.
Carolina's defense took over, snagging 19 steals against the Phoenix to match the best mark in a game under Banghart. Indya Nivar led the charge, with a game-high six steals and led all with 13 points.
Ciera Toomey is asserting herself as a presence for the Tar Heels off the glass, collecting a career-high 12 rebounds.
With the victory, Carolina continues to ride its win-streak against unranked non-conference foes in Carmichael with its 30th consecutive win.
UNC VS. TOP-10 TEAMS
Taking on a top-10 opponent for the first time this regular season, Carolina is on the hunt for its first over a top-10 foe since defeating No. 10 NC State from Carmichael Arena last February.
Carolina is on the hunt for its first top-10 win on a neutral floor since defeating No. 5 Iowa State at the 2022 PK Invitational in Portland.
Overall, Carolina boasts 54 top-10 wins as a program and seven during Banghart's tenure.
VS. RANKED FOES UNDER BANGHART
In the seventh season under Courtney Banghart, Carolina is 22-30 against ranked squads.
Last season, the Tar Heels toppled six ranked teams, including two on a neutral floor.
The Tar Heels are 5-9 against ranked team on a neutral court under Banghart.
WEST COAST GOOD TO THE HEELS
A little West Coast sunshine gets the Tar Heels in a winning mood, as Carolina is 6-0 in the PT/MT timezone in games under Banghart.
Last season, Carolina was the only ACC women's school to sweep the West Coast road trip with wins at Cal and Stanford.
YOUTH SHINING
A highly recruited freshman class came with expectations, and the group of four has sure delivered.
Through two games, Carolina's freshmen are averaging 26.0 points per outing. Nyla Brooks is leading the charge, averaging 12.5 points per game.
MAKIN' 'EM PAY
Forcing an average of 23.0 turnovers per game to rank No. 3 among ACC teams, the Tar Heels are making the most with its defense.
The Tar Heels are currently averaging 26.0 points per game off their opponents miscues.
ON THE RUN
Aggressive Carolina defense is translating into offense, as Carolina is dictating tempo and piling on the points in the fast break.
Averaging 22.0 fast break points per game, the Tar Heels are calling the shots and playing fast.
ANYONE NEED WINDEX?
Dominant off the boards through the first two games of the season, Carolina is outrebounding its opponents by a margin of +20.0.
The margin of +28 against NC Central was the highest by Carolina since +36 against Wofford in 2022.
Ciera Toomey is fearless off the boards, snagging 11 rebounds against NC Central and a career-high 12 against Elon.
Toomey is the first Tar Heel since Janelle Bailey in 2019 to record double-figure rebounds in each of the first two games of the season.
ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN'
The offense wasted no time getting going on Monday, with Carolina scoring 90 points for the sixth time in a season opener under Banghart.
The 48-point margin of victory was also the second best in a season opener under Banghart.
Carolina is now 18-0 under Banghart when scoring 90 or more points.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
With plenty of noise surrounding Nyla Brooks, the true freshman sure delivered on Monday against the NC Central. The Waldorf, Md., product led all scorers with 15 points, while shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Brooks became the first freshman to lead Carolina in scoring in its opening game, since Deja Kelly scored 19 points against Radford in 2020.
Following up her opening day performance with 10 points against Elon, Brooks continues the streak by Kelly set in 2020.
DOMINATE THE GLASS
The glass was sure kept clean during Monday's victory, with the Tar Heels outrebounding NC Central by a margin of +28 with UNC grabbing 48 rebounds.
The feat marked the second best margin by any ACC squad on the opening day of college basketball and No. 15 overall nationally.
Ciera Toomey and Nyla Harris led this charge, with each recording a double-double on Monday. Toomey tallied a career-high 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Harris added 12 points and 10 boards.
It was the 11th game under Banghart in which two players posted double-doubles.
SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT
Opening the season on a loud note, Carolina packed Carmichael on its Field Trip Day with a total of 6,336 in attendance.
The number broke the attendance record in Carmichael during the Banghart era.
NO PLACE LIKE CARMICHAEL
In the only home in the history of Carolina women's basketball, the Tar Heels have traditionally held home court advantage. Carolina is 37-2 under Banghart in home non-conference games and has won 30 straight games against unranked non-conference teams at home.
NEW LOOK, SAME MISSION
Back for year seven with Courtney Banghart at the helm, the Tar Heels bring back eight returners from last season's Sweet 16 squad.
Despite losing mainstays in Lexi Donarski, Maria Gakdeng and Alyssa Ustby to graduation, Carolina reloaded with the addition of two transfers and four freshmen.
LOOKING BETTER IN CAROLINA BLUE
Elina Aarnisalo spent one season at UCLA and made a run to the Final Four with the Bruins, before making her way to Chapel Hill. An elite distributor, Aarnisalo averaged 3.4 assists per game to rank 15th among all Division I freshman last season.
No stranger to the ACC, Nyla Harris chose to spend her final season in Carolina Blue after three seasons at Louisville.
As one of the most efficient shooters in the league the past two years, Harris led the Cardinals from the field as a sophomore and junior. Overall, Harris boasts a 54.2% career field goal percentage.
Regarded as one of the nation's top forwards, Harris also found herself on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Top-20 watch list.
THE FIERCE FRESHMEN
Youth is abundant for the Tar Heels, as Carolina brought in a highly rated freshman class with one international star and three ranked in ESPN's top 100 for the Class of 2025.
Following two years on the professional circuit in Russia, Moscow native, Liza Astakhova is ready to take her European game to the United States. Joining the Tar Heels in August, Astakhova looks to provide depth after appearing in 39 games last year with the Russia-PBL.
The fifth McDonald's All-American recruited by Banghart, Nyla Brooks is poised to make some noise in her debut campaign.
Coming out of Bishop Ireton High School, Brooks earned a multitude of honors throughout her prep career. The guard came in as the No. 13 overall prospect in the Class of 2025 by ESPN and picked up honors as the Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Most recently, Brooks was touted as one of ESPN's Most Impactful Freshman and was named the first Tar Heel to the ACC Preseason All-Freshman team since 2021.
After missing her senior season of high school due to injury, Taliyah Henderson is ready to make her return to the court. A multi-sport athlete, Henderson proved to be a star on the hardwood and the track at Salpointe Catholic High School in Vail, Arizona.
The guard also boasts international experience, representing Canada at the FIBA U18 Women's Americup in 2024.
She averaged 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, as Canada went on to earn a silver medal at the event.
Graduating early from high school to spend this past spring with Carolina, Taissa Queiroz is prepped to make her debut in Carolina Blue. Spending her high school years at Cardinal Newman in The Bay Area, Queiroz has generated plenty of buzz through representing her home country of Brazil.
This past offseason, Queiroz played with Brazil in two exhibitions against WNBA squads in the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. She also joined Brazil at the 2025 GloblJam this past summer in Canada, earning a bronze medal.
A TRUE POINT DAWG
The acclaim for Reniya Kelly continues to grow, just like her game as the guard was named Preseason All-ACC by the league's media and coaches.
All-ACC Second Team as a sophomore, Kelly preps for her junior season after lighting it up in her second year of collegiate action. Posting eye popping numbers in ACC play, Kelly averaged 11.4 points per game to rank second for the Tar Heels.
Proving her prowess from beyond the arc, Kelly knocked down 40 triples at a rate of 41.2%. Her field goal percentage from deep ranks No. 4 in a single-season at Carolina.
With 45 career starts under her belt, Kelly also picked up honors as one of the nation's top point guards, earning a spot on the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Top-20 Watch list and to the Naismith Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
INDY LOCKING IT DOWN
Joining Kelly as Carolina's only returning starters, Indya Nivar is primed to end her collegiate career on a high note.
A defensive force, Nivar paced the Tar Heels last season with 68 steals. Her swipes accounted for the most by a player in a single-season under Courtney Banghart at UNC.
Snagging seven steals in Carolina's win at Pitt tied for the most by any ACC player in a single-game during the 2024-25 campaign.
Nivar's productivity distributing the ball also increased, dishing out a personal-season best 68 dimes and dropped a career-best five assists in three games as a junior.
BLANCA'S GOT NEXT
Displaying spurts of preeminence during her freshman season, Blanca Thomas returns for her second season in Chapel Hill.
Appearing in 33 games and making five starts, Thomas posted five or more rebounds in 10 games. Collecting a total of 115 rebounds, it was the most by a freshman in their debut campaign since Alyssa Ustby during the 2020-21 season.
LANIE GRANT ON THE RISE
Playing in all 37 games during her freshman campaign last season, Lanie Grant is poised for a sophomore jump after earning ACC All-Freshman Team accolades.
Scoring double-figures in 11 games, grant posted a career-best 19 points twice. She also led Carolina in scoring in four games, including twice in ACC action.
Grant still remains one of the youngest Tar Heels, skipping her senior season of high school to reclassify and join UNC a year early.
ACC ACCLAIM
In the league's preseason polls, Carolina was selected to finish third by the ACC's coaches and media.
The Tar Heels highest finish in the Banghart era came in 2022, where UNC boasted an 13-5 record to tie for third in the conference.
Last season, Carolina outperformed its expectations from the preseason poll. After being projected to finish 6th, Carolina went 13-5 in league play to tie for 4th.
PRESEASON POLLS
With winning an expectation in Chapel Hill, the sentiment is reiterated nationally with the Tar Heels ranked No. 11 overall in both the AP and the USA Today/Coaches Preseason Polls.
The mark in the AP Poll is the highest start to a season for Carolina since 2009, where UNC began the season ranked No. 4.
In the USA Today/Coaches Poll, it matched Carolina's best start in the poll since the 2012-13 season.
MOVIN' ON UP
Following two seasons on staff as a graduate assistant, head coach Courtney Banghart promoted Lexi Weger to assistant coach this summer.
The four-year letterwinner at Princeton continues her coaching career as a member of the Tar Heel staff.
Weger also holds the honor as the youngest assistant coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference in women's basketball.
COACH KMAC
Battling with injuries throughout her playing career since coming to Carolina in 2021, Kayla McPherson made the choice this summer to ultimately retire from basketball.
"Wearing the UNC jersey has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Being part of such an amazing program has truly been a blessing, and I will forever cherish the memories made here. To the fans in Carmichael, thank you for your endless love and energy," said McPherson. "This journey has been filled with challenges, growth, and joy, and I'm grateful for every moment spent playing the sport I love. Though my playing days are coming to a close, I will always be a Tar Heel, and I'm excited to step into a new role for this team and continue giving back to the program that has given me so much.
The McDonald's All-American out of Hull, Ga., will now spend this next season as a student assistant.
"Countless surgeries and thousands of hours of rehab and recovery later, it has been a true inspiration to get a front row seat to Kayla's grit, sacrifice, and hope, with her love for the game and her teammates pushing her forward. That said, the time has come where the mortality of Kayla's athletic career will officially be surpassed by the immortality of its spirit," said head coach Courtney Banghart. \
"It is time to officially shift roles. We have already benefited from Kayla's dedication to the team, as she has always been a valued and vocal teammate and coach on the sidelines during practice, and a leader and cheerleader to her teammates in the game."
CHALLENGES AWAIT
A loaded non-conference schedule awaits, as UNC is set to face off against seven NCAA Tournament squads, including two coming off of Final Four runs.
Heading West to Sin City in mid-November, Carolina takes on two NCAA Tournament squads in preseason No. 3 UCLA and Fairfield in the WBCA Challenge on Nov. 13 and 15th.
The Bruins reached their first Final Four in program history last season, while Fairfield is coming off of its second straight MAAC Championship.
Breaking out the passports, Carolina travels in search of warmth and to the 2025 Cancun Challenge for three games from Nov. 27-29. Taking on three NCAA Tournament teams in three days, the Tar Heels go up against Kansas State, South Dakota State and Columbia from the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
Kansas State reached the Sweet 16 in last season's NCAA Tournament, while South Dakota State and Columbia each won a game in the big dance.
The Tar Heels are on the hunt for their third multi-team event title in in the last four seasons.
In the third year of the ACC/SEC Challenge, the Tar Heels hit the road for the first time. Carolina travels to Austin to square off against the Longhorns in the first meeting since the 1981 season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are 1-1 overall in the non-conference event.
TAR HEELS AND NCAA TOURNAMENT FOES
Prepping for March all throughout November and December, Carolina is set to take on eight NCAA Tournament squads between its exhibition and the regular season during its non-conference slate.
- South Carolina - 2025 Final Four
- UCLA - 2025 Final Four
- Fairfield - 2025 First Round
- UNCG - 2025 First Round
- South Dakota State - 2025 Second Round
- Kansas State - 2025 Sweet 16
- Columbia - 2025 First Round
- Texas - 2025 Final Four
HOME SWEET HOME
The confines of Carmichael Arena have been friendly to the Tar Heels throughout non-conference action, as Carolina has won 30 straight games at home against unranked non-conference teams.
This streak dates back to the 2019 season.
MILESTONE WATCH
• 1,096 program wins
- Four away from 1,100.
- Would be 17th program nationally to reach the mark, third in the ACC.
• Nyla Harris - 819 career points
- 181 away from 1,000.
- 548 career rebounds
- 2 away from 550.
• Reniya Kelly - 97 career assists
- Three away from 100.
• Indya Nivar - 141 career steals
- Nine away from 150.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tar Heels remain in Las Vegas for their final game of the WBCA Challenge, facing Fairfield on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. ET.
Saturday's tilt against the Stags can be caught on ESPN+.
