| GAME 15 | NOTRE DAME AT NORTH CAROLINA |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | SUNDAY, JAN. 8 | 4 PM E.T. |
| WHERE: | CHAPEL HILL, NC | CARMICHAEL ARENA |
| WATCH: | ACCN |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — They’ve been road warriors already, and they’re going to have to do it again.
On Sunday, No. 4 Notre Dame women’s basketball (12-1, 3-0) heads to No. 22 North Carolina (9-5, 0-3) for a showdown between ranked conference foes. The Irish have played two of three ACC games on the road this year already, and the date with the Tar Heels begins a stretch with three of the next four ACC games on the road as well.
Carolina started the year hot with a 9-1 record and climbed as high as No. 6 in the AP Poll on two occasions. The Tar Heels have been in a bit of a rough patch since then, however. After falling to Michigan in the Jumpman Invitational on Dec. 20, the Heels have started ACC play 0-3. Florida State won at Carmichael Arena, and UNC subsequently fell at Virginia Tech and Miami. The Hurricanes held them to 58 points, their lowest mark on the year.
Despite the slow start, head coach Courtney Banghart has no shortage of talent on her roster. Guard Deja Kelly, who was a member of the 2021-22 All-ACC First Team, is the heartbeat of the group. She’s averaging 16.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Kelly has been the Tar Heels’ leading scorer in the last five games, and she was named the ACC Player of the Week on Nov. 28.
Alyssa Ustby, who was a USA Basketball 3×3 U23 Nations League teammate of Notre Dame’s Maddy Westbeld this summer, leads UNC with 9.1 rebounds per game. That mark ranks fourth in the ACC.
While Olivia Miles continues to lead the Irish in most major statistical categories, several women are heating up for Notre Dame as they navigate ACC play. Westbeld is averaging 14.7 points per game over the last three contests, and she has already recorded 23 blocks over 13 games this season. She had a total of 29 blocks in 33 games as a sophomore in 2021-22.
Guard Sonia Citron has been in double-figures over for 12 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak on the Irish roster. Citron led the ACC in last week’s games with a .706 field goal percentage, and she’s shooting 44.1 percent from behind the arc this year.
Sunday’s game will be UNC’s fourth of the year against a top-10 team and third against a top-five team. Notre Dame is 10-3 all-time against North Carolina, including a 2-2 mark in Chapel Hill. The Irish won last year’s meeting in South Bend, 70-65. Sunday’s game tips off at 4:00 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.