UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The group led by Courtney Banghart was worn out.
You could tell the Tar Heels’ head coach was frustrated as she took her time responding to questions from the media in the basement of Mohegan Sun Arena. She even apologized at the outset of her post-game press conference, saying, “Sorry that we were so injured.”
Dryly, Banghart remarked, “With multiple All-Americans out, we’ve got to get healthy. But we’re on the road to recovery, we’ll say that way.”
North Carolina was unable to withstand a Husky charge in the third quarter and ultimately lost 76-64 due to injuries. Just seven Tar Heels made it onto the court, and four of them played a minimum of thirty-four minutes. UConn defeated UNC 29–13 in the third quarter as a result.
Pregame warm-ups take place roughly three hours ago.
A group of North Carolinians wearing navy tracksuits stood near midcourt as they took the floor. Paulina Paris and Kayla McPherson, two important rotation players, were sidelined for individual games. Promising rookies Ciera Toomey and Laila Hull were out for the whole campaign.
Banghart remarked, “They’re beaten up too.” “Before the game, Geno and I were kind of making jokes. If we were both well, it would have been an exciting game to watch.”
In the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, North Carolina and Connecticut did play competitive basketball, unlike what Banghart implied. However, North Carolina’s weariness became apparent in the second half and ended up being the game’s difference.
Things went really well in the first half. Certainly, the Tar Heels had a difficult first quarter, turning the ball over eight times and trailing 19–10 after ten minutes. However, they retaliated with combat.
In the second quarter, UNC played much better ball management, generating opportunities for transition and second chances. After eight consecutive points from sophomore center Maria Gakdeng and senior forward Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina rallied to lead 30-28 with just under three minutes remaining before halftime.
At 36, Banghart’s squad and the Huskies were knotted when they entered the locker room.
Then, as the third quarter got underway, the needle began to tilt in the direction of empty. First-year guard Reniya Kelly, who lit up the court off the bench early in the game, took a nasty fall in the first half and did not return in the second, adding insult to injury (literally).
Taking advantage of multiple careless UNC errors, Connecticut launched a rapid 11-0 surge to begin the quarter. Once more, the Tar Heels battled back to tie the score at five points.
