Virginia Tech Hokies @ North Carolina Tar Heels
Kelly scores 20, No. 12 North Carolina women beat Virginia Tech 67-62
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- — Reniya Kelly scored 20 points, Lexi Donarski added 15, including a driving layup with 27 seconds left and No. 12 North Carolina beat Virginia Tech 67-62 on Thursday night for their fourth win in a row.
Alyssa Ustby finished with 16 rebounds to go with four points for North Carolina (22-4, 10-3 ACC). In her fifth year, Ustby has 1,210 career rebounds and moved past Charlotte Smith (1,200 from 1992-95) into second in program history and sixth all time in the ACC.
Carys Baker made 7 of 9 from the field, 3 of 4 from behind the arc, and led Virginia Tech (16-9, 7-7) with 15 points. Matilda Ekh added 13 points, including three 3s, and Mackenzie Nelson scored 10 points.
Ekh hit a 3-pointer and Carleigh Wenzel made two free throws to give the Hokies a four-point lead — matching their biggest of the game — just over three minutes into the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech was 1-of-6 shooting with three turnovers the rest of the way as the Tar Heels scored 13 of the final 17 points.
Grace Townsend converted a three-point play and, after Nelson hit two foul shots on the other end, Kelly followed with a 3-pointer before Townsend made a layup to give UNC a two-point lead with three minutes remaining. Baker hit a jumper that tied it at 62-all with 2:51 to play but neither teams scored again until Lanie Grant made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 1:17 left and the Tar Heel led the rest of the way.
Virginia Tech plays host to Stanford next Thursday. North Carolina wraps up back-to-back home games on Sunday against in-state rival and 10th-ranked N.C. State.
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Game Information
Chapel Hill, NC
Referee:Billy Smith
Referee:Brandon Enterline
Referee:Tiara Cruse
2025-26 Standings
| Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 16-2 | - | 27-9 |
| Louisville | 15-3 | 1 | 29-8 |
| North Carolina | 14-4 | 2 | 28-8 |
| NC State | 13-5 | 3 | 21-11 |
| Syracuse | 12-6 | 4 | 24-9 |
| Virginia Tech | 12-6 | 4 | 23-10 |
| Notre Dame | 12-6 | 4 | 25-11 |
| Virginia | 11-7 | 5 | 22-12 |
| Clemson | 11-7 | 5 | 21-12 |
| California | 9-9 | 7 | 21-15 |
| Stanford | 8-10 | 8 | 21-14 |
| Miami | 8-10 | 8 | 18-15 |
| Georgia Tech | 8-10 | 8 | 14-19 |
| Florida State | 5-13 | 11 | 10-21 |
| Wake Forest | 4-14 | 12 | 14-18 |
| SMU | 2-16 | 14 | 9-21 |
| Pittsburgh | 1-17 | 15 | 8-23 |
| Boston College | 1-17 | 15 | 5-26 |
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