Three takeaways from No. 24 UNC women’s basketball’s win in ACC opener vs. Clemson

North Carolina women’s basketball ended 2023 with a victory in its ACC opener.

No. 24 UNC (9-4, 1-0 ACC) defeated Clemson (8-6, 1-1 ACC), 82-76, on Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Arena after its second-half surge.

The Tar Heels were led by seniors Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby and graduate student Lexi Donarski. Each player finished with 15 points or more.

Ustby tallied 21 points and 11 rebounds, her second 20-point game and sixth double-double of the season.

Donarski added 23 points, a new season high, on 7-of-16 shooting. She finished with 18 points in the second half alone.

UNC now leads the all-time series, 63-28, including eight consecutive wins.

Here are three takeaways from the Heels’ win on Sunday.

UNC looked engaged despite break

The Tar Heels’ effort didn’t lag, even though they were off for nearly two weeks. They were aggressive from the tip, especially on defense, and that paid dividends.

Carolina took a 14-point lead with 1:46 left in the first quarter. Its shooting cooled off significantly from that point, with UNC hitting just one of its next eight shots and missing five straight to end the first half.

The Heels, however, did not allow the Tigers to lead by more than one point. They can thank their defensive effort for that, which held Clemson to 5-of-18 from the perimeter and forced 14 turnovers.

UNC’s defensive effort remained stalwart in the second half. It crashed the glass for rebounds, and forced the Tigers to play deep into the shot clock and take bad shots on multiple possessions. That defense translated into offense, too, as Carolina scored 12 fastbreak points and 19 points off turnovers.

“We really just sat down with each other at halftime. We were like, ‘Come on guys. We’re in ACC play now. We need to expect more from each other. We need to expect more from ourselves and we need to go out there and get a win,’” Donarski said. “It was just really collective. We all came together and had people step up and make shots when we needed them to.”

Tar Heel veterans step up

Kelly, Ustby and Donarski not only scored the majority of the team’s points, but their big plays came at key points in the game.

Kelly hit a 3-pointer in the second quarter, her first bucket of the game, to regain the lead. She added another in the third quarter giving the Heels a three-possession lead and hit two straight jumpers in the fourth.

The senior logged eight of the team’s 16 assists, tying her career high.

Donarski came up clutch, as well. The transfer from Iowa State scored just five points in the first half but dominated out of the break. She scored 12 points in the third quarter, hitting three straight shots from the perimeter, and gave UNC some breathing room.

Ustby scored on the fastbreak with 2:33 remaining, earning her double-double and second 20-point game of the season.

“She just has such a great impact to this team because of her relentless pursuit on every possession offensive and defensive,” Donarski said of Ustby. “We’re really happy to play together.”

While the Heels have talented underclassmen, it needed the veteran experience and those two made big plays when it mattered.

Carolina maintains composure

Clemson was not favored to win, but this was the same team that beat Duke by 16, and it posed a threat.

“We knew they were going to be hard to guard because they’ve got fifth year seniors that are dangerous. They can score off the bounce. They can shoot from 3. They’ve got really good post players,” UNC head coach Courtney Banghart said. “We knew it (was) gonna be a battle; shows you how great our league is.”

The Tigers never allowed the Tar Heels to take it easy. They took a one-point lead in the second quarter and cut Carolina’s lead to just three points twice in the fourth.

UNC showed its maturity, though, and did not panic. Its senior leadership made the important plays and it limited mistakes.

Ustby said everyone is tired at the end, which is why she takes pride in focusing that much more. She recorded five of her 11 rebounds in the final quarter.

“I didn’t feel like it wasn’t in our control,” Banghart added. “Maybe it was a little too close to comfort for y’all, but I felt like, ‘We’re alright. We’ve just gotta make these next two.’”

The Heels have a high ceiling if they can show that same poise over the next few months.