CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In the season opener on Monday, No. 15 North Carolina showcased their strength by defeating Charleston Southern 83-53, led by a standout performance from Alyssa Ustby, who recorded 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Lexi Donarski contributed significantly as well, adding 14 points to the winning effort. With this victory, the Tar Heels have now achieved 12 consecutive wins against Charleston Southern and extended their streak of season-opening wins to seven. They also maintain a spot in the rankings for the third year in a row.

Returning coach Courtney Banghart has nine players back from last year’s NCAA Tournament roster, including key starters Ustby, Donarski, and Maria Gakdeng. This trio was instrumental in the team’s scoring, accounting for nearly half of UNC’s total points during the 2023-24 season. Last year, Ustby excelled in ACC play, averaging a remarkable double-double with 12.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

In addition to the starters, UNC gained further contributions from transfer Trayanna Crisp, who came off the bench to score 11 points. Gakdeng was also effective, securing seven rebounds, helping the Tar Heels dominate on the boards with a total of 46 rebounds compared to Charleston Southern’s 34.

For Charleston Southern, Catherine Alben led the scoring with 18 points, while Tyonna Bailey added 11 points along with eight rebounds. Alben had a strong performance as last season she was the Buccaneers’ second-leading scorer, averaging 13.9 points per game.

Looking ahead, North Carolina is set to face both UNC Wilmington and North Carolina A&T in their upcoming games before a highly anticipated matchup against No. 2 UConn on November 15. This will be a rematch of last year’s encounter when UNC traveled to Connecticut and fell to the Huskies with a score of 76-64.