UNC women fall in Top 25 basketball clash: 3 takeaways from Tar Heels’ loss to Georgia Tech

No. 14 North Carolina women’s basketball opened ACC play on Sunday afternoon with an 82-76 loss to No. 25 Georgia Tech at Carmichael Arena.

Against their third ranked opponent of the season, the Tar Heels (10-2, 0-1 ACC) got off to a hot start that was soon extinguished. Georgia Tech (11-0, 1-0) adjusted quickly and closed the first quarter on a 20-5 run.

“I don’t think, looking back, that I’ll hate the shots,” UNC head coach Courtney Banghart said. “I think I’ll hate our inability to contain, to get to outside feet, to rotation rebound — things that an attacking team requires you to do.”

A 16-point halftime deficit soon grew to a 24-point hole in the third quarter, marking the largest deficit North Carolina’s faced this season. It was an uncharacteristic showing for a Tar Heel defense that ranks No. 6 nationally and has previously allowed just 49.5 points per game.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech head coach Nell Fortner showcased her team’s depth with a steady rotation of players. The Yellow Jackets bench racked up 34 points, 22 of those coming from standout freshman Dani Carnegie. She also added nine rebounds and four assists.

North Carolina’s reserves mustered just seven points — the first time UNC’s bench has failed to outscore its opponents’ this season.

Three-time All-ACC pick Alyssa Ustby struggled. The graduate small forward’s only points on Sunday afternoon were two fourth-quarter free throws. While she impacted the contest in other ways — with 10 assists, eight rebounds, a block and a steal — the Yellow Jackets effectively kept Ustby away from the basket.

It’s the first time Ustby has failed to record a field goal since her freshman season in 2021. Banghart, though, isn’t worried.

“Alyssa does so many things for us all the time, [so] when she’s not flirting with a triple-double, we’re like, ‘What’s wrong with Alyssa?’” Banghart said. “She didn’t shoot the ball enough… but it’s definitely not an issue of approach.”

Georgia Tech, ranked top 20 nationally in rebound margin, dominated the boards — outrebounding UNC 41-24. Banghart attributed the issues to North Carolina’s inability to contain the Yellow Jackets penetration and execute rotation rebounds effectively.

“We didn’t do a good job of that — just taking that extra step and being more physical,” she said. “Instead, we turned our heads up and tried to go get it. It’s something we’ve talked about. They haven’t made a quick enough adjustment to that, but results have a way of helping teach.”

“So I think when they see those,” she continued, “they will decide how they want to handle them moving forward.”

Three takeaways from the game:

Nivar sparks a late surge

Down by 21 entering the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels found their rhythm, shooting 66.7% from the field and 50% from 3-point range in the final frame. Junior guard Indya Nivar sparked the rally, scoring 10 of her 16 points in the fourth, including a crucial 3-pointer that cut Georgia Tech’s lead to 11.

Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly hit a free throw, and then Richmond transfer Grace Townsend added a fast- break layup to reduce the lead to eight with less than 2 minutes left.

But out of a UNC timeout, Georgia Tech responded with poise. Zoe Smith hit a key layup, and effective passing and an offensive rebound allowed the Yellow Jackets to drain the clock.

Despite North Carolina’s full-court press, Georgia Tech sealed the win at the free-throw line.

“I didn’t think we would get a lead like we did,” Fortner said. “North Carolina surely wasn’t gonna go away, and they didn’t. They were tough. I’m just glad the clock ran out because they were coming at us really hard in the fourth quarter.”

Graduate guard Lexi Donarski also drained a 3 in the last frame to cut the gap to six points. But, crucially, only two seconds remained at that point.

Nivar’s surge and the team’s hot shooting momentarily energized the Tar Heels, but the 21-point deficit entering the final period proved insurmountable.

Off day for Ustby, Tar Heel defense

Ustby had an uncharacteristic off day, finishing with just two points, marking her lowest output in nearly four years. Ustby struggled to find her rhythm, going 0-for-6 from the field.

Georgia Tech’s defensive schemes limited her impact on the offensive end — to an extent that seemed to surprise Fortner.

When told it was Ustby’s second career game without a field goal, Fortner asked, “I mean, that’s happened to her before?”

“I think she’s really a heck of a player,” Fortner continued. “I guess our defense was pretty good today on her. That’s hard to believe. I didn’t realize that.”

North Carolina’s defense, typically one of the nation’s best, also had a rare off day. The Yellow Jackets put up 50 points in the first half — more than UNC typically allows in an entire game.

According to Banghart, the 50 points were a combination of good shooting by Georgia Tech and defensive breakdowns by the Tar Heels.

“Even when Tonie [Morgan] made her three — she’s shooting like 20 percent from three — I think partly, you’ve got nothing to lose when you’re coming in and you’re playing on the home floor of a top-15 team,” Banghart said. “Some of those were really contested and they made a lot of really contested shots. Others, we didn’t have the right coverage or we didn’t defend it well enough. So it was a combination of both.”

UNC needs to feed Gakdeng

Maria Gakdeng’s performance against Georgia Tech was nothing short of impressive. She finished with a team-high 21 points — a career-high for her as a Tar Heel — along with six rebounds.

“We didn’t have an answer for Gakdeng,” Fortner said. “She was really, really good. If we play them again, we’ve got to figure out a better way to guard her.”

Gakdeng’s scoring came mostly in the second half when she said she became more assertive in the paint.

“Me personally, I need to be more aggressive,” Gakdeng said. “In the second half, I started to score more and ask for the ball more, and that’s where I got most of my points from — being aggressive.”

Despite facing a physical Georgia Tech defense, Gakdeng’s ability to finish around the rim and draw fouls helped keep the Tar Heels in the game.

Her growth as a player was on full display, as well as her efficiency — Gakdeng shot 9-of-11 from the floor.

“All of her [shots] are contested, so her efficiency is remarkable,” Banghart said. “It really is. It’s remarkable. It’s very Maria not to blame it on her teammates. There were times when she needed to continue to be aggressive and recognize her points per minute are very high, her points per shot are very high… she’s got to continue to be more demanding, and our guys have got to continue to find her.”