The ACC Women’s Tournament Play by Play: Day 2

This is the best day of the tournament. We’ve gotten past the play-in games and the joint is going to be jumping because it’s Field Trip Day as a number of local school districts send their students here for the first game. Thousands of kids who are actually encouraged to make noise? It’s just a pity that they don’t bring kids here on Opening Wednesday. Edit: I just found out why. The first game on Opening Day starts at 1:00. With a 3:00 end time, there is no time to get kids back to school before the end of the school day. Maybe the ACC ought to look at starting earlier on Wednesdays then. The kids really are a plus here.

11:00am -- Game One: UNC vs Boston College

Against Virginia, UNC’s Alyssa Ustby and Reniya Kelly both sat, theoretically saving themselves for today. As so many coaches are, UNC coach Courtney Banghart has been coy about Ustby’s return. Both are in warmup lines and moving without pain.

The Pearce Elementary chorus sings the national anthem, while signing it. I have to tell you, The Star-Spangled Banner looks better signed.

The kids go crazy over the smoke and fire. It sounds like a concert in here. Well, a Taylor Swift concert, third through sixth graders have pretty high voices.

UNC’s promotional vid is relatively anodyne, but the player introductions are pretty good. When a starter is announced the rest of the team all does the same thing around them, most notably everyone mimicking loosing arrows when Lexi Donarski is introduced. Advantage UNC.

First Quarter

9:44 UNC goes right to Maria Gakdeng down low against BC’s Dontavia Waggoner. Gakdeng spent her first two years at BC before transferring out. How good would BC be if Teya Sidberry, all 6’ 1” of her, didn’t have to man the 5?

8:55 Alyssa Ustby, looking healthy, puts a nice spin to the rack. UNC up 4 – 0.

7:33 It’s the T-Shirt Cannon!

Oh, it’s broke. The first shot goes barely two rows in and it’s immediately retired. UNC is clicking on all cylinders. Four different Tar Heels have scored.

7:12 This is already a home game for UNC: the kids in the audience and the proximity. Add now a healthy dose of Carolina reffing. On three contested balls out of bounds, all of which looked to my eyes to be last off UNC, have been given to UNC.

5:17 Boston College finally on board as Tatum Greene nails a three. UNC up 11 – 3.

2:28 Finally. A call against UNC as Gakdeng is whistled for a body slam in the lane. UNC 11 – 8.

0:48 Kaylah Ivey knows how to play the 2-for-1. She hits a three. The quarter ends 18 – 14 in favor of UNC. BC on a 9 – 2 run with both Sidberry and Waggoner on the bench.

Second Quarter

Reniya Kelly has not entered the game yet. Edit: She won’t.

8:35 Sidberry has a genuine hook shot which allows her to be effective amidst the trees. She hits a pair of buckets back-to-back and it’s UNC up 21 – 18.

5:24 Sidberry blocks Ustby, collects the ball and goes coast-to-coast. UNC 26 – 20.

5:23 Umm, no. The refs call a phantom charge on Sidberry. Another blown call in a rapidly growing list of blown calls.

3:13 Tatum Greene is leading all scorers with 13 points on 5/6 shooting and 3/3 from deep. This was not on my Bingo Card. Meanwhile Sidberry has four points and Waggoner is a goose egg thus far. This inconsistency from game to game has long plagued BC and is one of the reasons they are a bottom-half of the table team.

0:49 I like BC, so I do have a bias here, but the Eagles are getting shafted by the refs. {Insert your more graphic metaphor here.}

Third Quarter

It’s UNC 36 – 30. Given that it is 5 v 8 out there, and that BC just came back from 19 down on Day 1, they should be feeling pretty good.

The UNC band plays Sweet Caroline. High comedy as most UNC fans don’t actually know the words.

8:57 Just like she did in the first half, Ustby opens the scoring with an And-1. (This was the correct call, actually.) UNC 38 – 30. (She bricked the free throw, though.)

8:45 Unsung hero for UNC is Grace Townsend, she of the 4.5 ppg average. She’s a high hedge to herself, pushing BC’s offense all the way back to the logo. BC is struggling to get into their offense.

6:40 BC brings the full-court pressure, which is the tactic that changed their fortunes against Pitt yesterday.

6:03 Greene hits another three, that’s four on the day for her. Lexi Donarski immediately answers with a three of her own. UNC 45 – 37.

4:20 Savannah Samuel hits a three and it’s BC within one, 48 – 47. Normally, a dagger three like this would silence the crowd. But they’re kids. They’re cheering everything. What do they know?

1:57 Kennedy Jackson with a three and BC takes the lead for the first time, 51 – 50.

0:57 Waggoner has to try to grab a ball, last touched by a Tar Heel, as it is going out of bounds because she knows the refs would award the ball to UNC. She lost it.

0:10 Sidberry three at the shot clock buzzer. Three Eagles seem to think that the buzzer sounding was the end of the period and UNC almost scores at the other end. End of three, it’s all tied up at 54. Game on!

Fourth Quarter

9:30 Perfect in-your-face-D by UNC. Good recovery and good ball movement from BC and Ivey hits the three. BC up 57 – 54.

THE EAGLES TIE IT UP 🤯

📺 @BC_WBB x @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/KNTZ0Cyefe
— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb) March 6, 2025

8:51 Sidberry with a three. 60 – 54.

Media Timeout. (Note that. It will be significant.)

Turf wars. UNC cheerleaders are on central court while the In-House Arena Hosts are running a kiddie three-point contest. Oh, by the way, the teams are huddled up there as well.

8:11 Ivey with another three. 63 – 54.

8:00 Two calls finally go against UNC and the Carolina fans in front of me go apoplectic. Carolina tears are the best tears.

UNC has forgotten about Maria Gakdeng. Every ball down low is going to Ustby, which I understand, but Gakdeng is just 1/4 and that’s just not enough.

7:29 Good UNC D leads to BC shot clock violation.

7:14 Sounding like a broken record here, but another blown out-of-bounds call by the refs. BC up 63 – 56.

5:56 Ustby with a great offensive board off a missed Indya Nivar free throw. She converts, BC 63 – 61.

4:25 Lanie Grant with steal and coast-to-coast finish and BC’s lead is down to a point, 66-65.

4:04 Cheap travel call alert: That’s five for the tournament and it’s on Sidberry.

3:13 Ustby off another free throw miss, taps the ball out to Nivar who converts the And-1. UNC on top 68 – 66.

Remember that media timeout at the 8:13 mark? BC could have used a stop anytime in the past two minutes. And their coach is blowing it right now by not calling one of her own. UNC has scored 14 of the last 17 points. The tide has turned.

1:36 Donarski is left wide open for three. It’s all UNC, 73 – 66.

0:16 The BC band, which is actually a local high school band, plays Fly Like an Eagle. It’s too late. UNC romps home for the win and will face Florida State.

1:30pm – Game 5: Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech

The Georgia Tech vid is OK, but the players are shown sitting on a throne, which is, you know, a pretty bold statement. I like Virginia Tech’s video in that there are lots of shots of the players working out in the gym. It’s a very grind-now, win-later kind of vibe, but everything in the vid is branded: weights and shoe bags. Do the players need to be reminded that they are actually going to school in Blacksburg?

First Quarter

7:51 Three male Va Tech cheerleaders with megaphones are filling the void now that the kids have left the building. They are very loud. Rose Micheaux with a pair of buckets down low and Virginia Tech is up 4 – 0.

4:23 Chazadi Wright is playing point for Georgia Tech which means that Tonie Morgan is playing off ball for Georgia Tech. I get the whole two PGs thing, but really, I want the ball more in the hands of Morgan, who has been a stalwart player for years. She finally got her due with Second Team All ACC recognition.

3:01 UVa players take note: GT’s Kara Dunn grabs a rebound and fires a perfect outlet pass that leads to a Tonie Morgan-orchestrated fast break. Georgia Tech up 12 – 8.

0:47 The Georgia Tech band is playing mind games. They began a fake shot clock countdown cheer that Rose Micheaux hears and she needlessly rushes her shot. Of course she misses.

0.05 Lovely alley oop as VT’s Kayl Petersen brings Virginia Tech to within one, 14 – 13.

Second Quarter

9:00 Morgan shows why she’s a PG. GT up 16 – 13.

7:13 Virginia Tech’s Matilda Ekh scores inside, and VT is just down 18 – 15.

3:58 Ekh goes outside, connecting on a three but it’s still Georgia Tech with the 26 – 22 lead.

2:50 Back-to-back inside buckets by Morgan and Dunn give GT the 30 – 24 lead. GT has to go inside because they are shooting a horrific 3/14 from deep.

1:13 Ekh’s hot, she’s 4/4 from beyond the arc and has singlehandedly kept Virginia Tech in the game. It’s all tied up at 30 apiece.

I have to respect Matilda Ekh for remaining in Blacksburg whilst coach Kenny Brooks and Georgia Amoore scurried off to Kentucky. A much-loved coach abandoning his team and a new one coming in? That’s absolute permission to go try elsewhere, and as Ekh is showing today, lots of programs would have wanted her. Kudos for remaining true to your school.

Third Quarter

I’ve been talking to all the cheerleaders and band directors these past two days. I’ve wanted to know who they think would win an ACC Battle of the Bands or Dance Off. (Early returns: FSU has the best band and the best cheerleaders.) Spoke to one ditzy Virginia Tech dancer and she didn’t know what schools were in the ACC. Until one of her fellow cheerleaders showed her the banners hanging in the coliseum. Sheesh. Hokies got hokie.

8:55 Tonie Morgan has ice in her veins and hits as the shot clock buzzer is sounding. GT up 34 – 32.

I just realized that Rusne Augustinaite hasn’t entered the game for the Yellow Jackets. She’s had a disappointing sophomore year to be sure, but not playing? Doesn’t seem right. She looked fit enough in warmups.

6:40 Carys Baker hits a transition three and Micheaux scores down low in transition and it’s Virginia Tech that is ahead, 37 – 36. Carleigh Wenzel dropped the dime on both buckets. She’s having a rough night shooting (0/7) so maybe just focus on distributing…

Props to the Hokie Cheer team. At the end of the timeout, when the referee first blows the whistle, the team stops in mid-program and gets off the court. Talk about rules followers. Unlike the UNC cheer team which tried to start a new routine after the ref’s first whistle, and the horn sounding, and the ref’s second whistle. Tar Heels really are entitled folk…

Fourth Quarter

10:00 Georgia Tech with the 48 – 43 lead.

9:32 Morgan powers her way into the lane, as she has done all game long, for the 50 – 45 lead. Morgan is up to 17 points.

8:27 Wenzel finally on the scoreboard with a drive and scoop. Degree of difficulty: 9.5. Seriously, it’s the hardest shot she’s tried all game.

7:59 Georgia Tech responds. Do I have to say it’s Tonie Morgan? GT up 52 – 48.

4:22 Kara Dunn hits back-to-back threes. Dani Carnegie, reigning ACC 6th Man of the Year, and who’s had a pretty anonymous game, drills a three and it’s 63 – 48. And that’s the ball game.

1:10 Georgia Tech calls time so that the bench can get in and we finally see Augustinaite. I don’t get it. She can’t be this bad. She’s gone from scoring 10 ppg as a freshman to just 5.4 points this year, so heck of a sophomore slump, but she is a feisty, combative player. Should she wish to transfer, I’d take her in a heartbeat at Virginia. I ask everyone in press row and the Georgia Tech band what’s the story. No one knows.

5:30 Game Six: Virginia vs Cal

Given my disdain towards Virginia’s vid for using footage from last season, Cal’s vid is better. It even includes footage from their game with Virginia, just over a month ago. I really get the sense that this video was made for this moment and that’s enough for me to anoint the vid as the best of the tournament. So far…

The Cal band gets props for looking like an old-school Virginia Pep Band, replete with button-festooned vests and boaters. Plus, they will taunt players with a “You let your whole team down” chant on missed free throws. I like these ACC additions.

Cal almost gives it all back with maybe the most moronic looking mascot I’ve ever seen.

This game is a disappointment as Virginia never gets out of first gear. Latasha Lattimore and Breona Hurd suffer extremely serious and serious injuries respectively. Like all Thursday losers here in Greensboro, WBIT invites are looming and here’s hoping Lattimore is ready to go.

Cal’s Ioanna Krimili and Marta Suarez will get the headlines for the win, and for any future success the Golden Bears have, but the unsung hero is Kayla Williams who has defended Kymora Johnson as well as anyone all year. While the game was still competitive, Johnson was 2/11 from the floor and 0/3 from deep.

I’ll let Matt tell the rest of the story.

7:30 Game 7: Louisville vs Clemson

[This is Val’s inner editor. I’m going to take over and summarize here because Val has blown a deadline. Maybe asking him to watch seven games in two days and write two 4000-word columns is too much for him.]

Val loves the Louisville vid as it repeatedly shows off the city of Louisville as well as the campus. Louisville will be without the services of Jayda Curry, who was seen walking freely during the warmups. She might be available further down the line. Behind the play of Ja’Leah Williams and Tajianna Roberts, Louisville is going to win a squeaker, 70 – 68 in overtime.

Clemson’s Raven Thompson successfully followed her breakout performance on Wednesday and Hannah Kohn might have hit the biggest shot of the tournament.

https://t.co/At3JpvzdbR pic.twitter.com/6gVbBnWHvy
— ACC Women's Basketball (@accwbb) March 7, 2025

They both should return for another year. The coach of Clemson, Shawn Poppie, though, is another story. He seems to be a throwback to Woody Hayes, and Val doesn’t mean that in a good way. Excessive yelling, pushing his players, he’s quite a piece of work.

You can read Val’s report from Day One here.

Now, Val’s off to watch UNC take on FSU on Day Three.

[Val’s inner editor shuts off here.]