Battle looming: UNC women’s basketball set for ACC showdown with rival NC State

With 30 seconds left and No. 12 UNC clinging to a one-point lead over Virginia Tech on Thursday night, Lexi Donarski sized up her defender.

She had a realization, thinking to herself, “She’s too close.”

The graduate guard crossed over to her left, blew past Virginia Tech’s Matilda Ekh and finished at the rim with a left-handed scoop. The Hokies immediately called a 30-second timeout. As Donarski turned to her teammates, her face lit up and she let out a yell: ‘Let’s go!’

“I had come off a flare and a pin-down (screen) and she was right up on me,” Donarski said. “At that point I didn’t have a shot… so I was attacking the gap and just seeing what I had.”

It was the most un-Donarski of shots. A right-handed catch-and-shoot threat, she opened the game by draining three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Yet, in crunch time, she attacked the rim with her off-hand to seal the gritty 67-62 win over Virginia Tech at home — North Carolina’s 10th ACC win on the season.

UNC (22-4, 10-3 ACC) has built its success on defensive intensity, boasting a top-20 scoring defense and a top-10 field goal defense in the nation. But, more than that, the Tar Heels have found ways to grind out wins down the stretch — the latest example coming on Thursday night against the Hokies.

Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly matched her career-high with 20 points, while Donarski added 15 points. Graduate small forward Alyssa Ustby, despite a quiet night offensively, pulled down 16 rebounds — vaulting herself to No. 2 on the UNC all-time rebounding list.

Fresh off their hard-fought win over Virginia Tech, the Tar Heels now turn their attention to a sold-out, rivalry showdown on Sunday at Carmichael Arena against No. 10 N.C. State. The teams will meet for the first and only time in the regular season — a result of ACC expansion — with both squads looking to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resumes.

“It’s a team that we’re really familiar with,” Banghart said. “The fanbases are familiar with each other. It’s next up and a great opportunity to have a great rivalry game at our place. I know Carmichael is excited to be hosting it.”

Here are three things to know heading into the top-15 matchup:

UNC’s lockdown defense

On Thursday, Virginia Tech’s Carys Baker and Mackenzie Nelson admitted they were rattled by North Carolina’s defensive intensity.

“I think we haven’t really faced a lot of teams that play so aggressive,” Baker said. “They do a really good job of, on ball screens, just switching up and being really strong. I think, in the beginning, we didn’t really handle it well.”

UNC’s stifled the Hokies’ half-court offense, helping the Tar Heels build a nine-point lead in the opening quarter. Despite some struggles — Kelly said she felt the team “didn’t have any energy the whole game” — North Carolina closed out strong, finishing the game on a 13-4 run after Virginia Tech surged to a four-point lead with seven minutes left.

UNC forced three turnovers during that stretch.

“We were talking about it the whole entire fourth quarter,” Kelly said. “We needed to bring the energy at that time because they were coming back. They had made a few runs, so I think we needed it then and there — and we did it.”

The Tar Heels’ defensive prowess — and their ability to seemingly flip the switch and lock down teams in crucial stretches — has put Moore and the Wolfpack on notice.

“They may have the best defensive team that I’ve seen them have,” N.C. State coach Wes Moore said. “They’ve really committed to doing that… It’s going to be a big challenge.”

N.C. State finding its balance

Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James and Madison Hayes — a trio of seasoned veterans who have seen it all – spearhead the Wolfpack’s leadership from the backcourt. This experience, paired with the growth of their younger players (sophomore Zoe Brooks and freshman Zamareya Jones), makes N.C. State a formidable and well-rounded team.

“Their guard play took them all the way to the Final Four last year,” Banghart said. “That’s a competitive, very experienced group with senior-heavy guard play — which is a wonderful thing to have.”

Banghart acknowledged on Thursday that N.C. State’s frontcourt has come along as well.

This was a point of concern for the Wolfpack at the beginning of the season, with Moore even discussing at ACC Tipoff the possibility of experimenting with a five-guard lineup.

“We miss River Baldwin and Mimi Collins tremendously… we’re going to have a hard time filling their shoes,” Moore said in October. “Everybody wants to talk about our guards. I get it. They’re unbelievable, but we got to have some balance. We’ve got a lot of questions to answer.”

The answer, so far, appears to be Tilda Trygger. The 6-foot-6 rookie from Stockholm, Sweden, was thrust into a starting role in December and has since doubled her scoring average.

“We don’t call them freshmen at this point in the season,” Hayes said. “They’re all playing. We just have to make sure we’re ready — ready to go mentally and physically.”

Player to watch: Reniya Kelly

The sophomore point guard has scored in double figures in five consecutive games. Her emergence has been vital, particularly the absence of three-time All-ACC first-team selection Deja Kelly, who transferred to Oregon after four seasons in Chapel Hill.

The departure of Kelly, who often carried the team’s scoring load and ball-handling duties, forced North Carolina to rethink its offensive strategy. Under Banghart’s guidance, the focus had shifted to a more balanced approach. Thursday was another testament to that shift, with seven Tar Heels recording two or more assists.

North Carolina’s new-look offense has not only benefited the team as a whole — UNC ranks No. 9 in the conference for assists per game, a significant improvement from last season’s last-place finish — but has also allowed Reniya Kelly to thrive.

Reniya Kelly’s confidence was on full display in a road win over Clemson last Sunday, where she hit a crucial go-ahead bucket in the closing minutes of a 53-51 UNC win. In the past five games, 22 of Kelly’s 79 points (nearly 28%) have come in the fourth quarter, including three tying or go-ahead baskets.

“She (Kelly) trusts the work she puts in, and we trust her,” Banghart told the media on Sunday. “She’s a ‘dawg,’ and I’m glad she’s a Tar Heel.”

Kelly has delivered on the road against Clemson, Stanford and Cal, but has yet to hit a signature dagger at home. If Sunday’s rivalry contest comes down to the wire, all eyes in Carmichael will be on Kelly.