University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
North Carolina A&T
No. 14 WBB Faces First Road Test, Visits N.C. A&T Thursday
November 19, 2025 | Women's Basketball
NO. 14/12 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (3-1, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 128-65 (7th season)
Career Record: 382-168 (19th season)
NORTH CAROLINA A&T AGGIES (2-3, 0-0 CAA)
Head Coach: Tarrell Robinson
Record at N.C. A&T: 250-146 (14th season)
Career Record: Same
TIPPING OFF
• Carolina returns to the Tar Heel State, following a two game stretch in Vegas at the WBCA Challenge. UNC split the week going 1-1 with a win over Fairfield.
• Hitting the road for its first true away test this year, Carolina makes the short trip to Greensboro to face off against N.C. A&T on Thursday. Carolina hopes to make it five straight road opening wins and stretch the series to 5-0 against the Aggies.
• Indya Nivar has the hot hand for the Tar Heels so far this season, posting double-figure scoring performances in each game this season. One more game would match her career-long streak.
• Against unranked teams on the road, Carolina has won its last seven.
SCOUTING THE LADY AGGIES
N.C. A&T enters Thursday with an overall record of 2-3, coming off of back-to-back wins against Shaw and Winston-Salem State.
The Lady Aggies started off the season 0-3, following road games at Texas Tech, TCU and New Mexico.
In the Coastal Athletic Association preseason poll, the Lady Aggies were selected to finish third in the league despite receiving three first place votes.
Starting center Chaniya Clark picked up preseason All-CAA first-team recognition, while junior Paris Locke received preseason All-CAA second-team accolades.
After missing the 2024-25 season, D'Mya Tucker picked up All-CAA honorable mention recognition.
SERIES HISTORY VS. N.C. A&T
Meeting for the fifth time overall and the third under Banghart, Carolina leads all-time 4-0.
In last season's first ever meeting in Greensboro, UNC came away with a 66-47 victory over the Aggies. Leading the Tar Heels, Laila Hull set a then career-best with 14 points and five rebounds.
LAST TIME OUT
After trailing at the end of the first quarter for the first time this season, Carolina turned on the jets in the second quarter against Fairfield en route to a 82-68 win at the WBCA Challenge in Las Vegas.
Laila Hull was lights out from beyond the arc, knocking down four triples on her way to leading Carolina and matching a career-best with 14 points.
Four other Tar Heels joined Hull in double-figures, as Nyla Brooks, Nyla Harris and Ciera Toomey added 12 points each.
Lanie Grant paced the Tar Heels with a career-best four assists.
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
Last season, Carolina was undaunted on the road and started out with a 9-0 record in true road environments before going 9-1. It marked the program's best away start in history.
Overall under Banghart, Carolina is 31-33 in true road settings. In non-conference road games, UNC is 5-2 in the Banghart era and boasts a five-game winning streak.
ROAD OPENERS
Under Banghart, North Carolina is 4-2 in its first road game of the year and has won the past four. It's current streak of four straight marks the longest since five straight from 2002-03 through 2006-07.
Overall, Carolina has won 37 of its road openers.
NO I IN TEAM
In three of its four games, Carolina has posed a balance scoring attack with at least five Tar Heels scoring 10+ points.
Eight different Tar Heels have tallied double-figure outings so far this season, with Indya Nivar scoring 10 or more points in every game.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Carolina's discipline when it comes to ball handling is paying off, as the Tar Heels are only surrendering 12.8 turnovers per game.
The Tar Heels limited themselves to a season-low nine turnovers against No. 3 UCLA.
YOUTH SHINING
A highly recruited freshman class came with expectations, and the group of four has sure delivered.
Through three games, Carolina's freshmen are averaging 18.25 points per outing. Nyla Brooks is leading the charge, averaging 9.8 points per game.
MAKIN' 'EM PAY
Forcing an average of 21.25 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 21.75 points per game off their opponents miscues and have earned 20 or more in three out of four games.
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 15.3 fast break points per game, the Tar Heels are calling the shots and playing fast.
ANYONE NEED WINDEX?
Dominant off the boards against NC Central and Elon, Carolina is outrebounding its opponents by a margin of +6.8 this season. 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 against NC Central, 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 against the Eagles, 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 48 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
• 1,097 program wins
- Three away from 1,100.
- Would be 17th program nationally to reach the mark, third in the ACC.
• Nyla Harris - 837 career points
- 163 away from 1,000.
• Indya Nivar - 146 career steals
- Four away from 150.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tar Heels return to Carmichael after two and a half weeks away, hosting UNCG on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. ET. Tip vs. the Spartans can be caught nationally on ACC Network.
