CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In the first meeting between No. 16 North Carolina Women’s Basketball and Stanford in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels fell 77-71 in overtime play in a Sunday matinee from Carmichael Arena.
Falling behind in overtime action, North Carolina (13-4, 2-2 ACC) did not have an answer on defense to Stanford’s (13-3, 2-1 ACC) offensive efforts. Nyla Harris paced North Carolina with 18 points and five rebounds, marking her third straight game with 10+ points. Ciera Toomey and Elina Aarnisalo also reached double figures with 16 and 12, respectively.
Indya Nivar continued to spearhead the Tar Heels’ defense, recording four steals, marking her tenth game this season with at least three and the 25th of her career. In all, the Tar Heels totaled ten steals on 22 Cardinal turnovers.
Overall, North Carolina struggled in the paint with the height of the Cardinal and was outrebounded 40-28. The taller Stanford frontcourt limited second-chance points for the Tar Heels, making it more difficult to establish an inside presence.
At the tip, things got hot for Aarnisalo, getting things started for the Tar Heels, hitting one from deep. Facing a size deficit, North Carolina competed down low by fighting for every shot in the lane. Toomey and Harris were among those creating the space, each adding four points at the end of the first frame. Defensively, the Tar Heels kept pace with Stanford’s long possessions, holding them to 14 points, which led to an 18-14 North Carolina advantage.
Out of the short break, Aarnisalo stayed on the attack and notched a few early scores to extend the North Carolina lead. Offensively, the Tar Heels dictated tempo from the opening tip, pushing the pace to disrupt the Cardinal’s defense and create space on the break. Stanford continued to hit shots from across the floor to remain in contention with the Tar Heels.
Lanie Grant and Nivar got in on the action towards the end of the second period, with Grant hitting a transition shot from deep and Nivar battling down low for the steal and score. The Tar Heels went on a 9-0 run to give them the advantage at the break. Leading into the break, North Carolina held a 34-29 lead over the Cardinal.
To start the second half, Harris tallied two quick baskets to kick up Tar Heel momentum. To rally back, the Cardinal went on to score four of five baskets to cut the North Carolina lead down. At the other end of the floor, Nivar was disruptive and caused chaos by swiping balls from the Cardinal attack. Toomey made an impact in shutting down the Stanford strategy, swatting the ball to force a Cardinal timeout midway through the third. The Tar Heels worked to keep the Cardinal at bay, leading 54-50.
In the final ten minutes of regulation, Harris dominated the paint, utilizing her physicality to beat the Cardinal defense. Harris ended up at the free-throw line multiple times to extend the Tar Heel lead. Nivar continued to predict the Cardinal attack and tally a few steals to propel North Carolina’s defensive efforts. The Tar Heel coverage came in clutch as the final regulation seconds ran down, where both teams were tied at 65 to force overtime play.
Stanford came out in the final five minutes of play, finding success in the paint and dropping hard-fought layups. North Carolina tried to find their rhythm through the mid-range shot but did not find many positive results. The Cardinal would go on to out score the Tar Heels 12-6 in overtime to earn a 77-71 victory.
Carolina enjoys a mid-week bye before heading back out on the road next weekend, traveling to South Bend to challenge Notre Dame on Sunday, Jan. 11. The meeting between the Tar Heels and the Fighting Irish is slated to tip at 1 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN.