Donarski and Ustby lead UNC women's basketball to the Battle 4 Atlantis finals

It was only a matter of time!

Behind outstanding performances from Lexi Donarski and Alyssa Ustby, the UNC women's basketball program defeated Villanova to clinch a spot in Monday's Battle 4 Atlantis championship game. The Tar Heels will take on Indiana, who is coming off a victory over No. 18 Baylor.

For the first time this season, Tar Heel fans saw vintage Donarski and Ustby at the same time. The veteran leaders combined for 28 of the Tar Heels 53 points and led the way in what was a rather dominant effort.

Let's start with Donarski, who connected on six of her nine shots from the floor. Not only did she thrive offensively but played a large role in limiting Villanova's leading scorer, Jasmine Bascoe, to two points (both of which came from the free-throw line). Coming in averaging 16.6 points per game, Bascoe missed all seven of her shot attempts and turned the ball over six times, a rough outing for the very talented freshman.

After recording a double-double in the Battle 4 Atlantis opener against Ball State, Ustby was back at it again on Sunday, only this time, Ustby only needed one half to record a double-double!

Ustby made six of her eight shots overall, finishing the game with 14 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Her high intensity and motor were well on display, as she was often fighting for loose balls and making those plays that just don't show up on the stat line.

Overall, the Tar Heels defense was outstanding. They held Villanova to just 23.5% from the floor, and forced 21 turnovers along the way. As we mentioned in our preview, the Wildcats only turned the ball over seven times in their Battle 4 Atlantis opener, so being able to disrupt their offensive flow was a huge aspect of this game.

Now, North Carolina aims to finish the Battle 4 Atlantis strong, hoping to return to Chapel Hill with a tournament championship on their resume.