GREENSBORO, N.C. — On Thursday, North Carolina managed a victory over Boston College with a score of 78-71, guided by Lexi Donarski’s impressive 20-point contribution. This win pushes the 14th-ranked team into the ACC Tournament quarterfinals for the third time in the last four years.
With a robust record of 26-6, North Carolina, the fifth seed, is set to face Florida State, seeded fourth and ranked 22nd, on Friday. Their previous encounter ended dramatically when Ta’niya Latson scored for Florida State at the buzzer, sealing an 86-84 victory for the Seminoles on January 26.
The game began favorably for North Carolina, quickly establishing an 11-0 lead. However, Boston College fought back fiercely, eventually overtaking the lead with just under two minutes left in the third quarter at 51-50, thanks to Kennedi Jackson’s basket. The game entered the fourth quarter tied but saw Boston College pull ahead again through the combined efforts of Kaylah Ivey and Teya Sidberry, who together executed three successful 3-pointers.
Nevertheless, North Carolina surged back with a decisive 19-3 run initiated by Alyssa Ustby and finalized by Donarski’s 3-pointer, bringing their lead to 73-66 while Boston College faltered, going 1 for 7 from the field during that stretch. A potential comeback for Boston College was thwarted when Tatum Greene missed a crucial 3-point attempt with 11 seconds remaining, after which Donarski secured the win with two successful free throws.
This game marked the first time since their November 7 match against UNC Wilmington that Donarski scored more than 20 points in a game. Indya Nivar also played a pivotal role for North Carolina, adding 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Ustby and Lanie Grant both chipped in with 11 points.
Boston College, coming in as the 12th seed, saw strong performances from Greene, who scored 18 points with four successes from beyond the arc, while Ivey and Sidberry contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively. The team matched their season-high with 12 successful 3-pointers out of 26 attempts.
