Published: Friday, March 22, 2024
Columbia, South Carolina — The No. 8 seeded North Carolina women’s basketball team (20-12, 11-7 ACC) defeated No. 9 seeded Michigan State (22-9, 12-6 Big Ten) 59-56 in the NCAA tournament’s first round on Friday at Colonial Life Arena.
Junior centre Maria Gakdeng had a team-high 17-point double-double, and senior guard Alyssa Ustby had 16 points and 17 rebounds to help UNC advance to the second round. The Tar Heels dominated the paint, outscoring the Spartans by 12 points.
The Tar Heels jumped out of the gates right away. Following Gakdeng’s and-1 play in the first minute, North Carolina continued to dominate in the paint.
“Once we start pounding them in the paint in the beginning like you pointed out, then I get to like kind of dissect and find where they are trying to overcompensate,” Ustby went on to say.
While increasing its advantage to as much as 16 points, UNC limited the Spartans to 10 points by crowding lanes and forcing contested perimeter shots. Gakdeng and Ustby, who drove to the rim and fed the post, led the scoring brigade with 15 points combined.
“[By] having my height advantage part of the game plan, [I knew] they were going to shoot a lot of shots and we’d have to rebound,” Gakdeng told ESPN. “So using my body, getting into them and getting those rebounds was going to be important.”
UNC extended its hot streak into the second quarter. During the Spartans’ four-minute scoring drought, the Tar Heels embarked on a seven-point run. But as the half ended, Michigan State began to regain its feet.
