‘Made of the right stuff’: UNC disappointed by loss, pleased with overall outing vs. USC
There’s not a lot of separation in women’s basketball right now, and that’s encouraging for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
No. 24 UNC (5-3) led No. 1 South Carolina (6-0) by as many as 11 points in the first half, forcing the Gamecocks out of their rhythm on both ends of the floor. It was unable to maintain that advantage in the second half — falling at home, 65-58 — and lost its third straight.
Carolina had mixed feelings about the win. The Tar Heels are disappointed by the outcome and how close it was, but also pleased with the outing.
UNC held South Carolina to 65 total points, 35 points below its season average, and outrebounded the visitors, 45-39. In the first half, USC scored just 26 points and committed eight turnovers.
“I thought we were really good defensively,” UNC senior Deja Kelly said. “We were active. We were making them go to their third, fourth, fifth option offensively. I think we got the stuff that we wanted.”
Kelly led all scorers with 20 points.
South Carolina came into the contest as the leading rebounding team in the country, averaging 58.2 total rebounds per game, and 38.6 on the defensive end. The Heels held them to 39 total, and six on the offensive glass.
Alyssa Ustby played a large part in that effort. She logged 18 points and 12 rebounds. Half of her rebounds came on the offensive end.
“She imposed her rebounding will on us,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said. “You can know so much about a player and they’re still able to do what they do best and give their team an opportunity to get some extra possessions. It’s hard. We got out of position, sometimes she just went and got the ball. It wasn’t really a skill, it was a decision.”
Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart knows UNC didn’t hire her to come close, but there were a lot of positives to build from Thursday, and the team played competitively against a tough opponent that was heavily favored.
“The margin of error is so small for both teams. I think there’s a level of fight that high-level teams have that we’ve been able to show,” Banghart said. “Our game is so healthy. It’s just so good. South Carolina is good but not untouchable. Carolina is good. We’re not untouchable. That’s just the nature of women’s basketball right now, which makes it so exciting.”
Banghart felt like there was hesitation in her team’s shooting. Kelly said UNC wasn’t as effective in transition offense. Plus, the Heels are still figuring things out with their new players.
But there isn’t any panic. The team keeps growing closer and adjusting, too. Wins in November are good, but wins in March are better.
“I told them, ‘Win or lose, it doesn’t define you. It shows you what you are made of, and you guys are made of the right stuff’,” Banghart said. “We’re not good enough yet, individually or collectively, but we’re made of the right stuff. As we continue to move through this season, this will define that for us inside the locker room.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2023 at 12:00 AM.
