North Carolina turns defense into statement win over West Virginia

In her final home game, the fifth-year senior helped lead North Carolina to a 58-47 win over West Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night. UNC advances to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons under head coach Courtney Banghart.

And the statement Banghart made postgame was just as forceful as the one her team made on the court.

“I was tired of hearing about their defense,” Banghart said. “Why was no one talking about our defense?”

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That question echoed through Chapel Hill, where North Carolina shut down one of the nation’s most disruptive teams — and looked every bit like a defensive powerhouse themselves. West Virginia entered the game averaging 13.8 steals per contest, forcing turnovers on 29% of opponent possessions. On paper, it was their pressure that was supposed to dictate the pace. But UNC flipped the script.

The Tar Heels held the Mountaineers to just 24.1% shooting from the field and 2-for-21 from 3-point range. UNC forced 16 turnovers and converted them into 23 points — a 12-point advantage in that category alone.

“We didn’t do a very good job [scoring off turnovers] in this game, and that’s a credit to them,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “We lost by 11, and they beat us by 12 on points off turnovers. That’s typically a stat that we win.”

The 47 points were West Virginia’s lowest output of the season.

“They can spread you. They have different people offensively,” Kellogg added. “That’s the hard matchup from the offensive end — you don’t know who it’s going to be each night.”

On Monday, it was Ustby. The 2024-25 First-Team selection delivered 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, adding seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Her defense frustrated the Mountaineers throughout, drawing multiple fouls and rotating between assignments.

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“Obviously Ustby got us,” Kellogg said. “That was the matchup problem. We had three or four different people trying to defend her. We tried man, tried zone. It was a little bit of a matchup problem.”

While Ustby stood out in the box score, she had plenty of help. Apex, North Carolina native Indya Nivar gave the Tar Heels a spark during a pivotal third quarter run. With UNC leading by three at halftime, the junior guard pulled down a tough rebound and raced to the other end for a transition finish. Later, she added a block and disrupted multiple drives, helping UNC outscore West Virginia 21-17 in the third.

Nivar finished with 10 rebounds, six points, four assists and two steals.

“We all bought into being in the gaps and helping one another,” Nivar said. “Nobody was on an island.”

That commitment to team defense was clear. UNC’s guards — Lexi Donarski, Reniya Kelly and Lanie Grant — held West Virginia star JJ Quinerly to 8 points on 2-for-12 shooting. In last week’s first-round win over Columbia, Quinerly scored 27 points. This time, she was swarmed from start to finish. Center Maria Gakdeng anchored the paint with nine rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Her presence helped limit West Virginia’s second-chance looks and added muscle to UNC’s defensive identity.

“We couldn’t pull our stops,” Quinerly said. “We couldn’t get any kills. Like Coach Kellogg said, and it kind of just wore on as the game goes and the score got a little wider.”

Even West Virginia’s signature press couldn’t rattle UNC’s composure or ball movement.

Still, the game wasn’t without swings. West Virginia opened the second quarter with a brief lead, their largest of the night, on a 3-pointer from guard Jordan Harrison. But UNC responded quickly — and never trailed again.

The Tar Heels led for nearly 32 minutes of game time and held the Mountaineers to just nine fourth quarter points.

“Our effort on the defensive end was really good,” Kellogg said. “I thought we competed. We held them down long enough to see if we could make a run. We never made any runs.”

Banghart smiled when asked about what comes next. 

“We’re going to enjoy this one,” she said. “And tomorrow, I’ll be back in my zone.”

North Carolina will meet Duke on March 28 in Birmingham, Alabama for a chance to advance to the Elite 8.

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