University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
UNCW
Tar Heels Continue Home Stretch, Welcome UNCW Wednesday
December 16, 2025 | Women's Basketball
NO. 18/16 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (9-3, 0-1 ACC)
Head Coach: Courtney Banghart (Dartmouth, 2000)
Record at North Carolina: 134-67 (7th season)
Career Record: 388-170 (19th season)
UNCW SEAHAWKS (3-5, 0-0 CAA)
Head Coach: Nicole Woods (Belmont Abbey, 2006)
Record at UNCW: 22-48 (3rd season)
Career Record: Same
GAME COVERAGE
TV: ACC Network
PxP: Jenn Hildreth
Analyst: Charli Turner-Thorne
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, WCHL 97.9/1360 with Matt Krause
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
UNCW enters Wednesday night's meeting at 3-5 overall and currently on a two-game losing streak. In year three under Nicole Woods, the Seahawks boast wins this season over NC Central, Queens and, Presbyterian.
Rori Cox has established herself as one of the best guards in the CAA, leading the league with an average of 2.5 steals per game. She is also posting 14.0 points per game.
Kylah Silver paces UNCW with 14.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UNCW
Meeting for the second straight season, Carolina owns the series outright 6-0.
Last year in Chapel Hill, UNC ran past the Seahawks 77-50. Reniya Kelly posted a double-figure outing, with 14 points while shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
In the two meetings under Banghart, Carolina has defeated UNCW by a margin of 24.5 points.
This season, Carolina has defeated two other Coastal Athletic Conference squads with wins over Elon and N.C. A&T.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite making up a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take No. 22 Louisville to overtime, the Tar Heels were unable to complete the comeback and fell 76-66 in the ACC opener.
Scoring nine points in the fourth quarter, Taliyah Henderson matched her career-high with a team-leading 13 points. Overall, five Tar Heels tallied double-figures against the Cardinals.
Carolina remains to shoot the three at a high volume, knocking down 11 triples as a team. Henderson led the way from beyond the arc, shooting a perfect 3-of-3.
HENDERSON STAYING HOT
Growing into her role during her freshman campaign, Taliyah Henderson has found her footing in her last two outings.
The Vail, Ariz., native has posted back-to-back double-figure outings for the first time in her career in the last two games. Henderson is also a perfect 10-of-10 from the field in the last two games. Against Boston University, she also added a career-high four steals.
BOUNCE BACK
This season, Carolina is 2-0 in its next game when coming off a loss.
Overall, the Tar Heels are 36-24 under Courtney Banghart off a loss and 26-11 since the start of the 2021-22 season.
NO SHOTS HERE
Limiting Boston University to a mere 13 made field goals, it marked the fewest allowed in a game by the Tar Heels this season.
Carolina also held the terriers to 16.7% from the field in the fourth quarter, the lowest by any opponent in a game this year.
KEEPING ALL INVOLVED
Already proving to be one of Carolina's best offenses under Courtney Banghart, Carolina's scoring options are plentiful, as eight different Tar Heels have recorded double-figure games.
All of Carolina's wins this season have come when four or more Tar Heels record double-figures in scoring.
Indya Nivar paces this trend, scoring 10 or more points in each game this season.
STEALS ON STEALS ON STEALS
Always having her eye on the ball, Indya Nivar has proven to be one of the most tenacious defenders in the nation.
Nivar currently ranks No. 2 overall nationally with a total of 44 steals and No. 12 with 3.67 steals per game.
The single-season program record at Carolina is 127 steals, set by Linda Matthews in 1979. If Nivar were to break the mark, she would need to average 4.3 steals per game in the remainder of Carolina's 19 regular-season games.
GOING STREAKING
Riding a 32-game home win streak against unranked non-conference opponents, Carolina is taking care of business and earning wins.
During this streak, Carolina boasts a margin of victory of 38.5 points in the 32 consecutive wins dating back to 2019.
THRIVING IN PARADISE
Rattling off three wins in three days at the 2025 Cancun Challenge, North Carolina picked up its second straight multi-team event title and its fifth under Banghart.
Indya Nivar took home Cancun Challenge Tournament MVP honors, while Lanie Grant earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
NOTHING BUT NET
In the first edition of the 2025-26 NCAA Women's Basketball NET, North Carolina came in at No. 13 overall.
The Tar Heels have already earned two quad-two wins this season, defeating No. 41 Fairfield and No. 46 South Dakota State.
CAN'T STOP HER
Lately, opponents can't stop Indya Nivar from scoring or scoring on her. In Cancun, Nivar stuffed the stat sheet and averaged 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.7 steals, and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 56.3% from the floor.
Nivar is the first player in the Banghart era to snag four or more steals in three straight games.
Her seven assists against Kansas State were the most by any Tar Heel in a single game this season and set a new career high for the senior.
Her play in Cancun earned her ACC Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Reniya Kelly joins her as the only two active Tar Heels to earn the distinction.
THREES ON THREES ON THREES
When Carolina shoots from beyond the arc, there's a high chance it's going in. Against Kansas State, the Tar Heels knocked down 14 made triples.
The mark tied the program record, which had been previously set 11 times. Knocking down 14 triples against the Wildcats marked the third time under Banghart in which Carolina reached the threshold.
Carolina's performance against Kansas State from deep also set a new standard. With four straight games with 10 or more triples, it's the first time in available program records that Carolina has achieved the feat.
This season, Carolina has already knocked down 10-plus triples in six games. Carolina is already on track to best last season's mark of eight games with double-figure triples.
SHARING IS CARING
There's no I in team, and the Tar Heels are certainly proving so.
Against Kansas State, Carolina matched its season high with 21 helpers.
Indya Nivar dished out a career-high seven dimes, the most by any Tar Heel this season.
Overall, Carolina has dished out 15+ assists in eight games this year. Nivar currently paces Carolina with 3.6 dimes per game.
HISTORY - WRITTEN
In a historic performance, Indya Nivar's triple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals marked the second triple-double in the rich history of Carolina women's basketball.
Nivar joins former teammate Alyssa Ustby as the only two Tar Heels to achieve the feat.
Her 10 steals also etched her name again in the Carolina record books, matching the program single-game record set by Pam Leake in 1995.
Nivar is one of nine players nationally this year to snag double-figure steals in a game.
Nivar is the second ACC player to record a triple-double this season, and the 50th in the history of the conference.
By recording a triple-double with steals, Nivar is the fourth to accomplish the feat in the history of the league.
RUNNING DEEP
Depth is a huge factor for the Tar Heels this season, as they currently average 29.8 points per game from their reserves. Carolina's bench scoring ranks No. 27 nationally and third overall in the ACC.
Coming off the bench, Nyla Brooks leads the reserves with 9.5 points per game.
RAINING THREES
The three-ball is flying this season for the Tar Heels, as Carolina knocked down 10 or more against UNCG, South Dakota State, Kansas State and Columbia.
It's the first time in the Banghart era that Carolina has achieved the feat with 10+ in four consecutive games.
Nyla Brooks led the charge, shooting 15-of-27 from deep during the stretch.
SHE'S JUST A FRESHMAN
With the confidence Nyla Brooks brings to the court, she has already asserted herself as one of the nation's top freshmen.
Posting a performance of perfection against UNCG, Brooks scored a career-high 18 points while shooting 7-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Brooks' outing vs. the Spartans propelled her to earn her first ACC Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 24. She's the first freshman to pick up the honor for Carolina since the 2023 season. Overall, Carolina leads the ACC with 84 Freshmen of the Week selections.
Her scoring has remained consistent, as she's the first freshman Tar Heel to score in double figures in five of her first six games since Jocelyn Jones and Janelle Bailey both did so in 2017.
CT'S COMING
The development of Ciera Toomey has been undeniable, as the redshirt-sophomore's work in the offseason is now shining.
Posting a career-high 19 points against UNCG, Toomey also dished out a career-best four assists.
Toomey's presence in the paint is assisting Carolina to post an average of 39.1 points per game in the paint. The Tar Heels have posted 50+ point games in the paint twice this season.
RIGHT ON TARGET
The shots were falling against UNCG, as Carolina ended up shooting 39-of-59 from the field for a percentage of 66.1%.
This mark ranked No. 2 in a single-game field goal percentage at UNC and holds the record in the Banghart era.
The mark is the second-highest field goal percentage by an ACC team this season.
WINNING IS A TRADITION
Throughout the history of North Carolina women's basketball, it has boasted 30 20-win seasons.
A win over South Dakota State gave Carolina its 1,100th program victory. The Tar Heels became the 17th Division I women's program to reach the mark and the third in the ACC.
DEFENSE ON LOCK
Holding yet another opponent under 50 points in limiting Boston University to 40 points, Carolina has now held 47 opponents under 50 in the Banghart era.
So far this year, Carolina has held five of its 12 opponents under 50 points. Last season, UNC held 11 opponents under the mark.
BROOKS LOVES THE DEEP BALL
Making a strong impact during her freshman campaign, Nyla Brooks is proving her prowess from beyond the arc.
She currently leads the Tar Heels with 24 made triples and leads the ACC among freshmen with an average of 2.00 per game.
AN EMERGING LEADER
In her final season in Carolina Blue, Indya Nivar is making it count as she has posted double-digits in each outing this year.
The Apex, N.C., native is currently riding a career-long streak of 12 consecutive games in double-figure scoring.
She currently leads Carolina with an average of 12.4 points per game.
Not only is Nivar showing her leadership on the offensive end, but she is also shining on defense. Her 3.67 steals per game rank thirdin the ACC, and her 44 total rank fourth nationally.
LET IT FLY
The three-ball has been good to the Tar Heels this season, as Carolina has knocked down 106 triples to date.
In the Courtney Banghart era, it's the most threes drained in the first 12 games of a season.
Last year, the Tar Heels set a new program record with a total of 269 made threes in 2024-25.
LOCKDOWN FROM DEEP
While the Tar Heels were knocking down triples against N.C. A&T, the Aggies went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Carolina made 12 more three-pointers than its opponent, the largest disparity since 2016.
NO I IN TEAM
In seven of its 12 games, Carolina has posed a balanced 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.
MAKIN' 'EM PAY
Forcing an average of 19.75 turnovers per game to rank No. 4 among ACC teams, the Tar Heels are making the most with their defense.
The Tar Heels are currently averaging 22.4 points per game off their opponents' miscues and have earned 20 or more in eight out of 12 games.
Carolina cashed in a season-high 40 points off turnovers against UNCG.
ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN'
The offense wasted no time getting going 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 19-0 under Banghart when scoring 90 or more points.
HOME SWEET HOME
The confines of Carmichael Arena have been friendly to the Tar Heels throughout non-conference action, as Carolina has won 32 straight games at home against unranked non-conference teams.
This streak dates back to the 2019 season.
MILESTONE WATCH
• Nyla Harris -
- 907 career points
- 93 away from 1,000.
• Indya Nivar -
- 175 career steals
- 25 away from 200.
- 192 career assists
- 8 away from 200.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tar Heels wrap a four-game home stretch before the Holidays, hosting Charleston Southern on Sunday, Dec. 21.
The noon ET tip can be caught on ACC Network Extra.
