Three Observations: UNC Women’s Hoops vs. NC A&T

UNC women's basketball won soundly against in-state opponent, NC A&T, as the score read 85-50 in favor of the Tar Heels — a 35-point blowout. Indya Nivar scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double on the night. Nyla Brooks (14), Elina Aarnisalo (13) and Ciera Toomey (12) all entered the double-figure range, too. North Carolina shot 48 percent from the field.

The Tar Heels knocked down 35 percent of their attempts from the three-point line and shot 70 percent from the free-throw line. UNC as a team had 38 rebounds, 19 assists, 13 steals, but coughed up the ball 18 times against the Aggies. North Carolina has a turnover issue that will haunt them down the line if not resolved sooner rather than later. Nonetheless, here are three observations.

Turnovers Bite North Carolina Again

As mentioned, 18 turnovers for UNC. 18. That is no small thing to run by when looking at the stat sheet, and giving the ball up that many times is never a good thing. If North Carolina were playing a better team, then its chances of losing the game would go up drastically because possessions are precious in the game of basketball (obviously).

Head coach Courtney Banghart at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Nell Redmond/theACC.com

North Carolina Brought the Three-Point Barrage

While the turnovers were an issue once more, North Carolina poured it from the three-point mark. Brooks finished going 4-11 at that range — the most makes on the team. Reniya Kelly, Jordan Zubich and Lanie Grant made two apiece, and Aarnisalo and Nivar had one each. Banghart and the staff are receiving output from along the perimeter from numerous players, which will pay in the long run.

UNC Crashes the Glass

38 rebounds tell the story for UNC in this contest, as its ability to crash the glass gave them the advantage in controlling the paint. Including Nivar, there were 10 different Tar Heels to grab a rebound through the four quarters of play. Before the beginning of the season, Banghart was concerned about this team's ability to rebound, but it has shown that it can.

The turnovers are one issue, but rebounding is a strength for this team — one that is hard for any team to come across when working toward its full potential.

It will be interesting to see how North Carolina fares in its next outing, as it will take on South Dakota State in its first outing of the 2025 Cancun Challenge next week.

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