For the first time since 2022, the UNC women's basketball program is heading to the Sweet 16!
The No. 3-seeded Tar Heels defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With the win, North Carolina advances to this year's Sweet 16, where they will battle rival Duke for the fourth time this season.
As expected, the first half was a defensive slugfest. Not much offense happened over the first 20 minutes, as the two teams combined for a total of 45 points.
North Carolina turned it up in the second half on both ends of the floor, giving themselves a lead that they wouldn't relish.
In fact, the Mountaineers went on a stretch in which they didn't score a field goal for over 9 minutes, a huge stretch in helping the Tar Heels pull away for good. It shows how good North Carolina's defensive effort was, as they held West Virginia to shoot just 24.1% from the floor, including making only two three-pointers on 21 attempts.
To put it into perspective, JJ Quinerly, one of the nation's top scorers, was held in check throughout, as she finished the night with eight points on two of 12 shooting from the floor.
While this will be the last game played at Carmichael Arena this season, it also serves as the final time Alyssa Ustby will suit up in front of the home crowd in Chapel Hill. The fifth-year graduate student certainly didn't disappoint, as she led all scorers with 21 points while also recording seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks.
The season continues for Courtney Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program as they are one of 16 teams remaining. Their next test will be a tough one, as we all know what the rivalry between Duke and North Carolina brings to the table.
This time, the stakes are even higher than before, as the winner will move on to the Elite 8 while the loser will have their season come to an end at the hand of their bitter rival.