Courtney Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program took care of business on Monday morning as they defeated Charleston Southern in dominating fashion.
While it was only a four-point game after one quarter, the Tar Heels took over control from there. An 18-7 advantage in the second quarter helped propel North Carolina to a 15-point cushion, a lead they certainly wouldn't relish.
Alyssa Ustby did Alyssa Ustby-type things to begin her fifth and final season with the UNC basketball program, leading all scorers with 18 points while recording eight rebounds and four assists. Lexi Donarski made a couple of three-pointers en route to a 14-point outing, while newcomer Trayanna Crisp impressed with 11 points on 4-6 shooting in 14 minutes of action.
While the Tar Heels were missing Indya Nivar and Kayla McPherson, 12 players saw action in Monday's season opener. Of those 12 players, 11 scored at least once, as we saw some steady contributions off the bench from Blanca Thomas and Laila Hull in their UNC women's basketball debuts.
Even though the Tar Heels struggled shooting from three-point range (6-28 overall), the pace that they played was very encouraging. As Banghart has noted throughout the offseason, this team has the ability to space the floor and play fast, as we saw some quality shots that were created due to those factors.
The UNC women's basketball program is now 6-0 in season openers with Banghart at the helm. They look to build on this victory as they host UNCW (featuring the return of former Tar Heel Alexandra Zelaya) on Thursday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.