"North Carolina's win was built on aggressive driving to the rim, opportunistic shooting and physical defense. Elina Aarnisalo scored 21 points and Lanie Grant had 20; the two combined to score or assist on 51 of North Carolina's 74 points."
"The biggest shot of the game came from freshman Nyla Brooks. Her 3-pointer with 1:43 left pushed the lead to 68-62 and out of reach for a Maryland team that struggled the entire game to make shots."
"North Carolina will not be able to count on UConn or Syracuse missing the kind of open shots Maryland did. They allowed 21 Maryland offensive rebounds and turned over the ball 16 times."
"One thing that worked was reversing the strategy of shooting 40 3-pointers in the first round against Western Illinois. North Carolina launched 11 3s against Maryland, making four, and instead routinely took the ball to the basket."
North Carolina secured a victory over Maryland to advance to the Sweet 16 in the 2026 women's NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels relied on aggressive driving, opportunistic shooting, and physical defense. Key performances came from sophomores Elina Aarnisalo and Lanie Grant, who combined for 41 points. A pivotal 3-pointer from freshman Nyla Brooks sealed the game. Maryland struggled offensively, shooting poorly from the field and free throw line. To progress further, North Carolina must improve their rebounding and ball control while maintaining effective scoring strategies.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]