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UNC WBB pulls away from West Virginia in second half, advances to face Duke in Sweet 16
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- UNC WBB pulls away from West Virginia in second half, advances to face Duke in Sweet 16
The UNC women's basketball team, in the midst of its most successful season since the 2021-2022 campaign, welcomed West Virginia to Carmichael Arena on Monday, March 24 for a Round of 32 NCAA Tournament matchup.
Both the Tar Heels and Mountaineers entered Monday's battle off blowout wins in the Round of 64. North Carolina pulled away from Oregon State Saturday, winning 70-49, while West Virginia handled Columbia in a 78-59 thumping.
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Monday night was much closer – until it wasn't.
Trailing 35-33 late in the third quarter, UNC roared back for a 58-47 victory that sent it onto Birmighman, Ala. for the Sweet 16 this coming weekend.
The Tar Heels (29-7, 13-5 ACC) won Monday largely behind their defense , holding the Mountaineers (25-8, 13-5 Big 12) to just one field goal in the fourth quarter – a Sydney Shaw 3-pointer in garbage time. North Carolina limited WVU's top three scorers JJ Quinerly, Sydney Shaw and Jordan Harrison to a combined 26 points on 6-of-31 shooting.
It was Alyssa Ustby , UNC's star forward who holds the program's all-time rebounds record, who anchored the comeback. Ustby scored 16 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, including 10 in the third quarter alone.
Ustby also grabbed seven rebounds, while also leading all players with four steals and three blocks. Indya Nivar , a starting guard for the Tar Heels, led all her teammates with 10 rebounds.
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Who will North Carolina face in the Sweet 16? None other that archrival Duke , which advanced to the Sweet 16 with a blowout win over Lehigh on Friday, March 21 and a 59-53 victory over Oregon on Sunday.
UNC beat the Blue Devils, 53-46, in overtime from Carmichael Arena on January 9. Duke got revenge in the rematch on February 27 inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, dominating 68-53.
This weekend's matchup, whether Friday or Saturday, will carry much larger stakes. The Tar Heels look for their first Elite 8 appearance since 2014, while the Blue Devils search for their first since 2013.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC women's basketball beats West Virginia, advances to Sweet 16
