In the first half of Tar Heels’ game No. 1, North Carolina’s Deja Kelly shoots over Te-Hina Paopao and Bree Hall of South Carolina, followed by a technical from Ashlyn Watkins. At Carmichael Arena on Thursday, South Carolina upset No. 24 North Carolina 65-58. With the victory, USC won only its second game with fewer than 100 points and achieved its third-ranked triumph of the season (first against No. 10 Notre Dame and second against No. 14 Maryland, who has since fallen out of the top 25).

The Gamecocks and Tar Heels met in the regular season for the first time since 2013, with South Carolina winning three straight games. The two teams’ most recent meeting took place in the Sweet 16 of 2022, where USC prevailed 69-61 to win their second national championship.

Testy Technicals for UNC

During the women’s basketball game between No. 24 UNC and No. 1 South Carolina, the garnet-and-black team had a larger audience compared to the Carolina blue team at Carmichael Arena. However, the Tar Heels supporters were very vocal and cheered every time UNC scored or missed, or a Gamecock foul was called.

Coach Dawn Staley was aware that her inexperienced team had never played in such a hostile environment. In the first quarter, UNC player Alyssa Ustby got tangled up with South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins behind UNC’s basket. A little pushing broke out as they stood up, and Watkins marched towards Ustby.

Deja Kelly of UNC moved in between Watkins and Ustby, and the two started arguing and shoving each other a little before breaking up. Watkins and Kelly were given double technical fouls.

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The two teams last faced each other in the Sweet 16 in 2022, with South Carolina winning by less than double digits en route to the national title. The Gamecocks were leading 5-0 going into Thursday’s game.

The tough matchup between Carolina

Despite playing their hardest game of the season against No. 1 South Carolina, No. 24 UNC women’s basketball was unable to overcome the Gamecocks, losing 65-58. With a 6-0 run to start the game, the Tar Heels (5-3) took the 6-0 South Carolina team by surprise.

They would eventually lead by as much as 11 points, which was more than twice as much as the Gamecocks’ worst deficit of the year (5). However, South Carolina narrowed UNC’s advantage to three points at the half and launched a 7-0 run early in the third quarter, winning it all with a 3-pointer from Te-Hina Paopao that never let up.

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South Carolina’s defense shut off UNC rallies and killed the Tar Heels’ momentum. The Tar Heels struggling with bad shooting only hit 21 of 67 field goals (31%). With 2:08 left, Bree Hall made a 3-pointer to put the Gamecocks ahead by six, and it was obvious that they were comfortable enough to win the game.