North Carolina secured a spot in the women’s Sweet 16 after defeating West Virginia in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The No. 3 seed Tar Heels (28-7) hosted the No. 6 seed Mountaineers (25-7) on Monday night at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. West Virginia was aiming for its first Sweet 16 appearance since the 1991-92 season, while North Carolina sought a return for the first time since 2021-22.
UNC entered the game after a dominant 70-49 win over No. 14 Oregon State in the first round, while West Virginia advanced with a 78-59 victory over No. 11 Columbia. This was only the second meeting between the two programs, with North Carolina winning the previous matchup in 1979.
Final Score: North Carolina 58, West Virginia 47
After a competitive first half, North Carolina pulled away in the second, securing the win and advancing to face No. 2 seed Duke in the Birmingham Regional. The game remained close through three quarters, but the Tar Heels outscored the Mountaineers 21-17 in the third and 13-9 in the fourth to take control.
Alyssa Ustby led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Reniya Kelly and Lexi Donarski added 11 points each for UNC. Jordan Harrison was West Virginia’s top scorer with 10 points.
Neither team had an efficient shooting night, but North Carolina had the advantage, making 36.4% of their shots compared to West Virginia’s 24.1%.
Halftime Score: North Carolina 24, West Virginia 21
The game was tightly contested in the first half, with the Tar Heels holding a slim three-point lead at the break. Both teams fought hard for a Sweet 16 spot, but UNC’s stronger second-half performance proved to be the difference.
With this win, North Carolina moves on in the tournament, while West Virginia’s season comes to an end.
