Virginia Tech fell at No. 12 North Carolina on Thursday night in a 67-62 loss in Chapel Hill.
The Hokies (16-9, 7-7 ACC) rallied from a first-quarter deficit and led by four with 6:57 remaining in the contest but scored just two points the rest of the way. The Tar Heels (22-4, 10-3) were better in the closing minutes.
Tech was 7-of-12 in the third quarter and used a 13-4 run over three minutes that turned the tide. However, leading 51-47 with 35 seconds remaining in the period, it allowed a 5-0 run from UNC — centered around two turnovers — and entered the fourth trailing by one.
Carys Baker and Matilda Ekh hit back-to-back baskets to put the Hokies up two, but they went cold. After a 2-of-2 start, they were 1-of-7 over the final stretch and finished the quarter 3-of-9. They also had four poorly timed miscues while the Tar Heels did just enough to pull ahead.
It was an even game as it went on, but Carolina jumped out to an early 11-point lead 90 seconds into the second quarter. Tech fought its way back, though. Mackenzie Nelson had a few pivotal possessions with a 3-pointer, drawing a charge, stealing a pass and then making a layup while drawing a foul — which she converted for a three-point play. At the half, Tech was only down 37-32.
Then Baker heated up. The sophomore finished with a team-high 17 points and drilled three treys in the third quarter to spark a run. Carleigh Wenzel chipped in a three, and after Kayl Petersen’s layup with 2:45 to play knotted things at 43, Baker’s triple put Tech up for the first time since it was 7-6.
The Hokies were in the driver’s seat after that until their offense vanished in the final minutes. After two foul shots from Wenzel made it 58-54 in their favor with 6:57 remaining, they only scored four points — two free throws from Nelson and a Baker layup.
Meanwhile, the Tar Heels were just a tad better. A trey from Reniya Kelly and a layup from Grace Townsend swung the pendulum after Nelson’s two points. Baker responded with her layup, tying the game at 62 with 2:51 left, and then it was a stalemate… until UNC finally pulled away.
Carolina missed some second-chance opportunities, but Tech gave the ball away twice in a span of three possessions. Lanie Grant’s foul shot put the home team up for good with 1:17 remaining while Lexi Donarski’s layup made it a three-point game.
Baker, who was a perfect 3-for-3 to that point from long range, had a deep three with five seconds to play that fell short after UNC defended it well. Kelly knocked down two free throws to put the cherry on top for the Tar Heels.
It was a disappointing result for the Hokies after they played so well to get back in the game. They struggled initially as Carolina was 10-of-17 in the opening period. After the first quarter, it was 24-15 in UNC’s favor.
However, they buckled down and limited the Tar Heels to 4-of-14 in the second, 6-of-14 in the third and 5-of-13 in the fourth. Their defense slowly came to life and changed the game. Part of that was limiting Donarski, who drilled three triples in the first period but was 0-of-4 the rest of the way. Kelly also had a big first half and dropped 13 of her game-high 20 points.
Then it became more about the Hokies. Ekh had 13, seven of which came in the first period, while Baker and Nelson made some important plays.
Yet, Nelson, Wenzel and Rose Micheaux — who returned from injury and started — all dealt with foul trouble. Petersen (four points, five rebounds) had some crucial minutes, and Lani White (five points, six rebounds) did some good things, though she also gave the ball away four times. Wenzel and Micheaux finished a combined 4-of-19 with 13 points.
In the end, the Hokies didn’t quite have enough against a top-25 team on the road. As a team, they were 43 percent (23-of-53) from the field and 8-of-13 (62%) from three, though UNC did well to limit the number of good looks from there.
It was their first defeat to North Carolina since Jan. 9, 2022. They had won the previous six meetings.
Tech’s NCAA Tournament résumé isn’t damaged, though a win in Carmichael Arena would’ve provided a huge boost. Now it’ll likely have to overachieve and avoid any missteps if it wants to make the Big Dance in Megan Duffy’s first season. It entered the day as the last team in the tournament, per ESPN.
Four regular-season games remain: vs. Stanford, vs. Cal, at Boston College and at Clemson. All are winnable, and if Tech takes care of business, it will be positioned well, though one slip up could be the difference.
Box Score: No. 12 North Carolina 67, Virginia Tech 62