The UNC women’s basketball team blitzed Virginia on Thursday night, setting a program record for most three-pointers made in a game enroute to an 82-70 win. The Heels made 16 threes, easily besting the old record of 14 that had been achieved multiple times under coach Courtney Banghart.
The Heels spread the wealth, with six different players making at least one three pointer. Sophomore Elina Aarnisalo led the way for Carolina, making four shots from long distance. Aarnisalo wound up with 20 points,
seven rebounds, and four assists. UNC shot 58% for the game; they were even better from behind the arc, making 16-24 attempts from three (66.7%).
The outburst isn’t completely surprising. UNC leads the ACC both in made threes per game (8.5) and three-point shooting percentage (36.3%). If they maintain their current pace, this will be the best long distance shooting UNC team since at least the 2009-2010 season.
Up next for the women’s team is a rematch against 12th ranked Duke. The Blue Devils won the first matchup at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 72-68. The Heels kept it close for most of the game, getting within three points with 15 seconds left before Duke managed to finish out the game. Also notable: the Blue Devils were awarded 21 free throw attempts compared to (double checks box score) zero for the Heels. While Duke is absolutely a good team, it’s likely the free throw balance won’t be quite this lopsided at Carmichael.
While there aren’t a lot of ACC tournament seeding implications for this matchup (Duke will finish first, and UNC will finish in the top four and receive the double bye), UNC will have plenty to play for. In addition to the team wanting to avenge a close rivalry loss, it will be senior night for Tar Heel starters Indya Nivar and Nyla Harris. And while the AP Poll doesn’t have quite the prestige it used to have with the rise is some many different advanced ranking metrics, it’s notable that UNC has not defeated a team ranked in the AP Top 25 this season. Beating Duke would resolve that and also give a boost the UNC’s NCAA tournament resume. The Heels are comfortably in, but most bracket projections have them as a five seed. Picking up a big win could help bump the Heels up to the four seed line, smoothing out their path to a potential Sweet 16 appearance.
Hopefully the Heels bottled some of the hot shooting against Virginia to use against the Blue Devils. Tipoff is set for noon on February 28th at Carmichael Arena; the game will be televised on ESPN.
