The UNC women's basketball program didn't hold the lead for very long on Sunday afternoon, but they fortunately did when the final buzzer sounded.
Playing shorthanded, the No. 9-ranked Tar Heels found a way to complete a comeback over Louisville, claiming sole possession of third place in the ACC regular season standings.
North Carolina took it's first lead of the game at the 8:13 mark courtesy of a Lexi Donarski made three-pointer. Seven seconds later, Louisville tied the game, eventually taking the lead for good deep into the fourth quarter of action.
Even without Alyssa Ustby (lower body injury) and Ciera Toomey (illness), the Tar Heels never gave up, essentially trading punches with the Cardinals in an effort to keep the game within striking distance.
Trailing by eight with 9:31 remaining, Louisville had an opportunity to put the game out of reach. However, the Tar Heels wouldn't let that happen as they stormed back into the game.
Every time Louisville scored, Lanie Grant seemed to have an answer. The freshman poured in 15 points over the final 10 minutes of action, including a clutch four-point play that ultimately swung the momentum in the Tar Heels' favor, finishing with a team-high (and career-high) 19 points.
The game got intense with less than two minutes remaining. Reniya Kelly tied the game at the 1:22 mark while a Trayanna Crisp bucket with 35 seconds remaining gave the Tar Heels the lead for good. Kelly showed how clutch she is by draining two free throws in the final seconds to put the game out of reach.
This wasn't the prettiest of victories for the UNC women's basketball program, but it is certainly one to be proud of. Even playing short handed while dealing with foul trouble, this group continues to show grit, especially when adversity seems to hit the hardest.
Now, the UNC women's basketball program holds onto third place in the ACC standings leading into the final week of the regular season. A double-bye for the ACC Tournament is very much in play, as the Tar Heels will once again look to take care of business on Thursday when they take on Duke in the second meeting of the season between the two rival programs.